Dangerous move, says KCR on proposed amendments to AIS Rules

Hyderabad, Jan 24 (IANS) Telangana has joined the list of states who are "strongly" opposing the Central government's proposed amendments to the All India Services (Cadre) Rules, 1954.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling it a dangerous move "which violates the spirit of Constitution and will further strain the Centre-State relationship".

A day after Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan and Tamil Nadu's M.K. Stalin joined the list of chief ministers opposing the proposed amendment, Rao also demanded the Centre to drop the move.

KCR, as the Telangana Chief Minister is popularly known, wrote that the proposed amendments militate against the federal structure of the Constitution, both in letter and spirit.

"Further, the proposed amendments will also seriously erode the All-India Service (AIS) character of the IAS, IPS and IFS. Telangana State Government, therefore, strongly oppose the proposed amendments," reads the letter.

"The proposal shows scant regard to the administrative exigencies and requirements of the states. The proposed amendments threaten the spirit of mutual adjustments and accommodation between states and Central governments in the matter of shared All India Services and will further strain the Centre-State relationship," wrote the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief.

Stating that the proposed amendment is "nothing but amending the Constitution of India relating to the Centre-State relations", KCR said instead of such a "backdoor method" of amending the AIS Rules, the Government of India should muster "courage" to amend the provisions by the Parliament.

"Considering the criticality of functions discharged by AIS officers in the states, the present rule position and practice provides for concurrence of state governments in matter of deputation of officers to the Central government. The proposed amendment seeks to unilaterally disturb the above position, with the Central government assuming the power to take officers on deputation without concurrence of the officers of the state government concerned," he said in the letter.

KCR further asserted that if the proposed amendments are effected, the state governments would be reduced to be "insignificant" entities.

He said that the proposal is clearly a move to exercise indirect control by the Central government on officers working in the states.

"It amounts to interfering in the functioning of the state government, targeted harassment of officers and their demoralization, besides impacting accountability of officers to the state governments. It would also render state governments as helpless entities in matters of AIS officers," he added.