Shunted IAS officer appointed Maya's Principal Secretary: Oppn

Claiming shunted IAS officer Kunwar Fateh Bahadur has been appointed principal secretary to Chief Minister Mayawati, opposition parties in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday asked the Election Commission to remove him from the post immediately.

On January seven, the Election Commission had removed Bahadur as principal secretary (Home) after major opposition parties accused him of working as an agent of the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party.

Alleging that he had now been made Mayawati's principal secretary, the opposition parties said the move had raised doubts over fairness of the assembly election in the state.

"What was the point in removing him from the post of the Principal Secretary (Home) when he has been given a more sensitive posting. It is a mockery of the entire system," SP spokesman Rajendar Chaudhary said.

A memorandum would be submitted to the Election Commission in this regard, he said.

BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said the EC should take immediate cognisance of his appointment and remove him from the post.

"The party has been repeatedly demanding that officers, working at the behest of the government and as agents of the ruling BSP, should be shifted from sensitive places," he said.

Congress spokesman Akhilesh Pratap Singh said though it was the prerogative of the CM to appoint any officer in her office, the EC should ensure that he did not interfere in the poll-related work.