Thiruvananthapuram. A day after the suspension, senior IAS officer Dr. B. Ashok on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. He alleged that political interference has increased in the current government, public funds are being misused and the independence of the bureaucracy has weakened. Speaking to the media, Ashok, who is also the president of the IAS Association with 28 years of service, claimed that his suspension is linked to the association’s legal victories against the government from the year 2023. “The Chief Minister’s anger is understandable because during this period the association has won five cases,” he said.
Comparing the first term (2016-2021) and the second term of the Vijayan government, Ashok said that in the first term, senior ministers had respected the role of bureaucrats.
However, he alleged that the governance style changed in the second term and about a dozen retired officers are playing influential roles.
He met former Chief Secretary K.M. He also mentioned the appointment of Abraham to a new post in the Chief Minister’s Office and called it an unprecedented step.
Ashok clearly said that he will not challenge his suspension in the court at this time. He described it as a “badge of honour”.
He said, “Let the suspension order lie on my table. I am confident that the new government will resolve it appropriately.”
Ashok claimed that in the last six months, some officials were activated for the third term of the government and for this a large-scale campaign was carried out using public money.
According to him, a contract worth Rs 130 crore was given to a Mumbai-based PR agency for this.
Describing these incidents as serious irregularities, he said that this is creating a dangerous tradition in which the civil service is becoming subordinate to political power.
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