UP CM remains mum over minister's obscene remarks

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhikesh Yadav has been silent over his cabinet colleague Raja Ram Pandey’s grossly obscene remarks about two women IAS officers.

Repeated efforts by several mediapersons went in vain as neither the young CM nor anyone in his office was ready to say anything about the minister’s “objectionable” utterances about the women bureaucrats.

The minister, holding the portfolio of khadi and village industries, was speaking at a public function in Sultanpur, about 130 km from Lucknow.

Known for his loose tongue and with a past history of alleged involvement in several unlawful activities, the minister had gone to the extent of not only publicly comparing the “beauty” of two women district magistrates, but also referring obscenely to their figure.

Even the UP IAS Association, that seemed to suddenly rise from its docility to condemn the despotic ways of the Mayawati government well after she was voted out of power, chose to avoid the media on this issue. UP IAS Association secretary Parthasarthy Sen Sharma neither answered his mobile nor replied to repeated messages.

K Dhanalakshami, the district magistrate of Sultanpur about whom the obscene remarks were pointedly made, just kept herself inaccessible for any comment.

“Apparently, they are all scared of facing the government’s wrath if they chose to speak out, as everyone knows Raja Ram Pandey’s clout. After all he has got away with equally worse acts in the past too”, observed a retired bureaucrat who held key positions under the previous regime.

Another senior IAS officer said on the condition of anonymity, “The minister’s remarks were highly objectionable; but it was even more shameful that our association had preferred to maintain silence on the issue. This clearly reflects how we are ready to rally around political bosses and take every non-sense from them.”

“Pichli baar jab main is zile ka prabhari mantri tha, tab bhi yahan ki DM ek mahila thee aur yeh mera saubhagya hai ki is baar bhi yahan ki DM ek mahila hain” (last time, when I became minister- in-charge of this district, there was a woman DM here; and it is my fortune that this time again the DM happens to be a woman) Pandey told the gathering, while giving away cheques of the unemployment dole, announced by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

While his remark sent the crowd (mostly his party workers) into splits of crude laughter, he went on to add, “pichli baar yahan ki DM Kamini Chauhan Ratan thee, jo ki bahut sundar mahila thee; main sochta tha ki unse sundar mahila ho hi nahi sakti. Lekin is baar jab main phir se is zile ka prabhari mantri bana hoon, to DM K.Dhamlakshmi unse bhi adhik sundar hain ….bahut hi sundar vaani hai unki aur karyakushalta bhi adhik hai.” (last time the DM here was Kamini Chauhan Ratan, who was such a pretty woman that I could not imagine there could be a more beautiful woman; but now when I have become in-charge of this district once again, the DM is K Dhanalakshmi who is even prettier. She also has a very sweet voice and is also very competent in her work).

As if that was not enough, the minister went further, “inki kad-kathi bhi bahut achi hai” (her height and figure is also very good).

Sure enough, the remark left the young bureaucrat look completely embarrassed, while the minister’s men in the audience had a hearty laugh.