KCR Writes to Centre Objecting Changes to Civil Service Rules

Hyderabad: K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), the chief minister of Telangana, sent a strongly worded letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, demanding that the Centre drop its proposed amendments to the All India Service (AIS) cadre rules, which will affect or give the Centre more power over IAS/IPS officers serving on deputation in states.

According to KCR's letter, the proposed amendment aims to "unilaterally" give the Centre the ability to deputise officials without the consent of the officers or the state government involved. "This is a dangerous move which is against the constitutional framework and spirit of cooperative federalism. If the proposed amendments are effected by the union government, the state governments would be reduced to being insignificant entities," he said.

On January 12, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) sent a letter to all state secretaries informing them of proposed changes to the IAS (Cadre) Rules, 1954, stating that any officer placed on deputation by the Centre would "stand relieved" from his or her respective cadre, regardless of the state.

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These changes to the IAS (Cadre) rules will give the Centre more authority over the deputation of IAS officers to the states.

Apart from KCR, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamul Congress President Mamata Banerjee, as well as a few other leaders, have spoken out against the proposal.

The Telangana chief minister also believed that the Centre's new proposal was clearly "a move to exercise indirect control" over officers working in various states, which KCR said amounted to "interfering in the functioning of the state governments, targeted harassment of officers and their demoralisation, besides impacting the accountability of officers to the state governments."

He went on to say that the latest proposed revisions will make state governments "helpless entities in matters of AIS officers." KCR claimed that the proposed amendment "was nothing but amending the Constitution of India relating to the Centre-State relations" and that the revisions could be "detriment of the interest of the state and watering down the federal polity of the country."

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Telangana's chief minister also "challenged" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to change the provisions through Parliament instead. KCR further claimed that the Centre's proposal pays little attention to the "administrative needs and requirements of the States" and that it jeopardises the spirit of mutual adjustment and accommodation between the national and state governments on shared All-India Services.

KCR has Owaisi's support.

Meanwhile, Asaduddin Owaisi, the president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), applauded KCR's decision to oppose the modifications, claiming that "the proposed amendments will effectively destroy federalism and replace it with Modi Sultanat."

"Welcome move by CM KCR sb to oppose proposed amendments to AIS Cadre Rules. The Modi government wants to convert states into municipalities that have no powers. Bharat is a union of states. The proposed amendments will effectively destroy federalism and replace it with Modi Sultanat," Owaisi wrote in a tweet.

Welcome move by CM KCR sb to oppose proposed amendments to AIS Cadre Rules. Modi govt wants to convert states into Municipalities that have no powers. Bharat is a Union of States. The proposed amendments will effectively destroy federalism & replace it with Modi Sultanat https://t.co/r3zn29n0Kp

— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) January 24, 2022