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Ex civil servants demand withdrawal of terror-accused Pragya Thakur’s candidature

Published

7 years ago

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Ex civil servants demand withdrawal of terror-accused Pragya Thakur’s candidature

Expressing “disbelief and dismay” at BJP nominating the Malegaon blast case accused Pragya Thakur as its candidate for the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, a group of 71 retired civil servants have demanded that the BJP withdraw her candidature.

The former civil servants, including former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah, former Foreign Secretary and Former Chairman, National Security Advisory Board Shyam Saran, former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Nareshwar Dayal, former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI, & former CEO, Prasar Bharati Jawhar Sircar, former Adviser to Governor of Punjab & former Ambassador to Romania Julio Ribeiro, said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot “escape the irony of his party seeking votes in the name of fighting terrorism and at the same time endorsing the candidature of a person accused of terror crimes.”

In an open letter, the retired officials said the decision to field Pragya Thakur as a candidate could have been dismissed “as yet another example of political expediency but for the enthusiastic endorsement by no less a person than the Prime Minister, who had termed her candidature as “a symbol of our civilisational heritage”.

“As if it were not enough to nominate a person who is undergoing trial for acts of terror (the Malegaon Bomb Blast Case), Pragya Thakur, who is out on bail on medical grounds, has used the political platform she has been provided not just to propound her brand of bigotry, but also to insult the memory of Shri Hemant Karkare, the IPS officer who laid down his life in the fight against terror,” said the letter.

The letter said that for Thakur, Karkare died not because he sacrificed his own life defending ours, but because she had put a curse on him for daring to investigate her and, through his meticulous investigations, successfully charging her for terrorist crimes. “In her worldview, anyone who has the audacity to investigate a self-styled “Hindu” religious leader in a “Hindu” country earns divine wrath and therefore would naturally be destroyed,” it said.

The former civil servants said: “This dishonouring of a former colleague, an officer known for his professionalism, has come as the ultimate shock and saddened us beyond words. The country needs to honour the sacrifice of Shri Karkare and not allow deviant individuals to denigrate him and his memory. Every officer who has served with or supervised the work of Shri Karkare has testified that he was a person of impeccable integrity and an inspiration to all who came in touch with him.”

The letter stated that “It is also about the atmosphere of hate and divisiveness that characterises not just this electoral campaign but seems to be percolating through society as a whole. The candidature of Pragya Thakur is not a symbol of our civilisational heritage. Our heritage is not that of acts of terrorism. It is not of majoritarianism, but of celebrating our diversity. It is of tolerance, fraternity and of the unifying spirit of the Constitution of India.”

To the Election Commission and the judiciary, the retired officials said their efforts to contain the politics of divisiveness and of hate have had little impact so far.

“It is necessary to be far more proactive to stamp out this aberration. Inaction will only exacerbate the situation,” they said, calling upon citizens to “condemn Mr. Thakur’s statement; demanding that the BJP withdraw her candidature; and remind the Prime Minister of his oath to uphold constitutional values…,” said the letter.

OPEN STATEMENT BY FORMER CIVIL SERVANTS – CHARGESHEETED TERROR ACCUSED AS PARTY CANDIDATE

Our group of former civil servants of the All India and Central Services has no affiliation with any political party and is firmly committed to the Constitution of India. We write to express our disbelief and dismay at the candidature of Pragya Thakur for the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat. This decision could have been dismissed as yet another example of political expediency but for the enthusiastic endorsement by no less a person than the Prime Minister of India, who has termed her candidature as a symbol of our civilisational heritage.

As if it were not enough to nominate a person who is undergoing trial for acts of terror (the Malegaon Bomb Blast Case), Pragya Thakur, who is out on bail on medical grounds, has used the political platform she has been provided not just to propound her brand of bigotry, but also to insult the memory of Shri Hemant Karkare, the IPS officer who laid down his life in the fight against terror. For Ms. Thakur, Shri Karkare died not because he sacrificed his own life defending ours, but because she had put a curse on him for daring to investigate her and, through his meticulous investigations, successfully charging her for terrorist crimes. In her worldview, anyone who has the audacity to investigate a self-styled “Hindu” religious leader in a “Hindu” country earns divine wrath and therefore would naturally be destroyed.

As former civil servants, we are not normally wont to give voice to our feelings. However, this dishonouring of a former colleague, an officer known for his professionalism, has come as the ultimate shock and saddened us beyond words. The country needs to honour the sacrifice of Shri Karkare and not allow deviant individuals to denigrate him and his memory. Every officer who has served with or supervised the work of Shri Karkare has testified that he was a person of impeccable integrity and an inspiration to all who came in touch with him. But this statement is not just about Shri Karkare. It is also about the atmosphere of hate and divisiveness that characterises not just this electoral campaign but seems to be percolating through society as a whole.

The candidature of Pragya Thakur is not a symbol of our civilisational heritage. Our heritage is not that of acts of terrorism. It is not of majoritarianism but of celebrating our diversity. It is of tolerance, fraternity and of the unifying spirit of the Constitution of India.

To this end, we appeal to the Prime Minister of India to unequivocally condemn, through actions and statements, the existence of terror in any form. He cannot escape the irony of his party seeking votes in the name of fighting terrorism and at the same time endorsing the candidature of a person accused of terror crimes. Martyrdom cannot be selectively appropriated or given up for the pursuit of political ambition.

To institutions like the Election Commission and the Judiciary, we would like to point out that their efforts to contain the politics of divisiveness and of hate have had little impact so far. It is necessary to be far more proactive to stamp out this aberration. Inaction will only exacerbate the situation.

We, who came together to use our pooled experience in the service of the Constitution and to further the values enshrined therein, call upon our fellow citizens to join us in:

  • Condemning unequivocally, the statement of Pragya Thakur;
  • Demanding that the BJP withdraw her candidature;
  • Reminding the Prime Minister of his oath to uphold Constitutional values and appealing to him to take the lead in putting an end to the climate of fear and intimidation and communal viciousness that seems to be permeating the entire electoral process.

We appeal to our fellow citizens to come together and use our collective might to ensure that the India that was dreamt of by Mahatma Gandhi – an India engaged in a ceaseless quest for truth and nonviolence – and the India that the founding fathers of our Constitution conceived of, remains intact and rises to its full potential.

We also appeal to our fellow citizens to reject the pervading atmosphere of hate and divisiveness. Every citizen of India, irrespective of caste, creed or religion, belongs to this country.

Let us celebrate our unity in diversity and recall that, together, we have given unto ourselves this Constitution.

Endorsed by:

Anita Agnihotri IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Department of Social Justice Empowerment, GoI 2. Salahuddin Ahmad IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary, Rajasthan 3. V.S. Ailawadi IAS (Retd.) Former Vice Chairman, Delhi Development Authority 4. S.P. Ambrose IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Secretary, Ministry of Shipping & Transport, GoI 5. Vappala Balachandran IPS (Retd.) Former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, GoI 6. Gopalan Balagopal IAS (Retd.) Former Special Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal 7. Chandrashekhar Balakrishnan IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Coal, GoI 8. Meeran C Borwankar IPS (Retd.) Former DGP, Bureau of Police Research and Development, GoI 9. Ravi Budhiraja IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, GoI 10. Sundar Burra IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra 1 Kalyani Chaudhuri IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal 12. Javid Chowdhury IAS (Retd.) Former Health Secretary, GoI 13. Anna Dani IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra 14. Surjit K. Das IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Uttarakhand 15. Vibha Puri Das IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, GoI 16. P.R. Dasgupta IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Food Corporation of India, GoI 17. Nareshwar Dayal IFS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs and former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom 18. Pradeep K. Deb IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Deptt. Of Sports, GoI 19. Keshav Desiraju IAS (Retd.) Former Health Secretary, GoI 20. M.G. Devasahayam IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Govt. of Haryana 21. Sushil Dubey IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Sweden 22. K.P. Fabian IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Italy 23. Arif Ghauri IRS (Retd.) Former Governance Adviser, DFID, Govt. of the United Kingdom (on deputation) 24. Gourisankar Ghosh IAS (Retd.) Former Mission Director, National Drinking Water Mission, GoI 25. Meena Gupta IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Environment & Forests, GoI 26. Ravi Vira Gupta IAS (Retd.) Former Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India 27. Wajahat Habibullah IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, GoI and Chief Information Commissioner 28. Deepa Hari IRS (Resigned) 29. Sajjad Hassan IAS (Retd.) Former Commissioner (Planning), Govt. of Manipur 30. Kamal Jaswal IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Department of Information Technology, GoI 31. Rahul Khullar IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India 32. Ajai Kumar Indian Forest Service (Retd.) Former Director, Ministry of Agriculture, GoI 33. Arun Kumar IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, GoI 34. Brijesh Kumar IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Department of Information Technology, GoI 35. Sudhir Kumar IAS (Retd.) Former Member, Central Administrative Tribunal 36. Subodh Lal IPoS (Retd.) Former Deputy Director General, Ministry of Communications, GoI 37. Harsh Mander IAS (Retd.) Govt. of Madhya Pradesh 38. Aditi Mehta IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Rajasthan 39. Sonalini Mirchandani IFS (Resigned) GoI 40. Sunil Mitra IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Finance, GoI 41. Noor Mohammad IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority, Govt. of India 42. Deb Mukharji IFS (Retd.) Former High Commissioner to Bangladesh and former Ambassador to Nepal 43. Pranab S. Mukhopadhyay IAS (Retd.) Former Director, Institute of Port Management, GoI 44. Nagalsamy IA&AS (Retd.) Former Principal Accountant General, Tamil Nadu & Kerala 45. P.G.J. Nampoothiri IPS (Retd.) Former Director General of Police, Govt. of Gujarat 46. Amitabha Pande IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Inter-State Council, GoI 47. Niranjan Pant IA&AS (Retd.) Former Deputy Comptroller & Auditor General of India 48. Alok Perti IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Coal, GoI 49. Jayant Prasad IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Nepal 50. N.K. Raghupathy IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Staff Selection Commission, GoI 51. V.P. Raja IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission 52. C. Babu Rajeev IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, GoI 53. Julio Ribeiro IPS (Retd.) Former Adviser to Governor of Punjab & former Ambassador to Romania 54. Aruna Roy IAS (Resigned) 55. Deepak Sanan IAS (Retd.) Former Principal Adviser (AR) to Chief Minister, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh 56. Shyam Saran IFS (Retd.) Former Foreign Secretary and Former Chairman, National Security Advisory Board 57. S. Satyabhama IAS (Retd.) Former Chairperson, National Seeds Corporation, GoI 58. N.C. Saxena IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Planning Commission, GoI 59. Ardhendu Sen IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal 60. Abhijit Sengupta IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI 61. Aftab Seth IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Japan 62. Ashok Kumar Sharma IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Finland and Estonia 63. Navrekha Sharma IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Indonesia 64. Raju Sharma IAS (Retd.) Former Member, Board of Revenue, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh 65. Jawhar Sircar IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI, & former CEO, Prasar Bharati 66. Narendra Sisodia IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Finance, GoI 67. Parveen Talha IRS (Retd.) Former Member, Union Public Service Commission 68. Thanksy Thekkekera IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Minorities Development, Govt. of Maharashtra 69. P.S.S. Thomas IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission 70. Hindal Tyabji IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary rank, Govt. of Jammu & Kashmir 71. Ramani Venkatesan IAS (Retd.) Former Director General, YASHADA, Govt. of Maharashtra.

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Renaming MGNREGA removes core spirit of rural employment law, says Shashi Tharoor

Published

2 days ago

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December 19, 2025

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Shashi Tharoor

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has strongly criticised the renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), saying the move strips the rural employment programme of its core essence. His remarks came after Parliament cleared the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, also referred to as the VB-G RAM G Bill.

Speaking to media, Tharoor said the decision to remove Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme “takes out the heart” of the rural employment programme that has been in place for years. He noted that the identity and philosophy associated with Mahatma Gandhi were central to the original law.

Tharoor also objected to the way the new name was framed, arguing that it unnecessarily combined multiple languages. He pointed out that the Constitution envisages the use of one language in legislation, while the Bill’s title mixes English and Hindi terms such as “Guarantee”, “Rozgar” and “Ajeevika”, along with the conjunction “and”.

‘Disrespect to both names’

The Congress leader said that inserting the word “Ram” while dropping Mahatma Gandhi’s name amounted to disrespecting both. Referring to Mahatma Gandhi’s ideas, Tharoor said that for Gandhi, the concepts of Gram Swaraj and Ram Rajya were inseparable, and removing his name from a rural employment law went against that vision.

He added that the name of Lord Ram could be used in many contexts, but questioned the rationale behind excluding Mahatma Gandhi from a programme closely linked to his philosophy of village self-rule.

Protests over passage of the Bill

The VB-G RAM G Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on December 18 and cleared by the Rajya Sabha in the early hours of December 19 amid protests from Opposition members. Several MPs opposed the manner in which the legislation was pushed through, with scenes of sloganeering and tearing of papers in the House.

Outside Parliament, members of the Trinamool Congress staged a sit-in protest near Samvidhan Sadan against the passage of the Bill. Congress also announced nationwide protests earlier this week, accusing the government of weakening rights-based welfare schemes.

Despite opposition criticism, the government has maintained that the new law will strengthen rural employment and livelihood security. The Bill raises the guaranteed employment from 100 days to 125 days per rural household and outlines a 60:40 cost-sharing formula between the Centre and states, with a higher central share for northeastern, Himalayan states and certain Union Territories.

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Rahul Gandhi attacks G RAM G bill, says move against villages and states

Rahul Gandhi has criticised the G RAM G bill cleared by Parliament, alleging it dilutes the rights-based structure of MGNREGA and centralises control over rural employment.

Published

2 days ago

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December 19, 2025

By

Rahul Gandhi

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi has launched a sharp attack on the Modi government after Parliament cleared the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural) Bill, commonly referred to as the ‘G RAM G’ bill. He described the proposed law as “anti-state” and “anti-village”, arguing that it weakens the core spirit of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

The new legislation, which is positioned as an updated version of MGNREGA, was passed amid protests by opposition parties and is expected to replace the existing scheme once it receives presidential assent.

‘Bulldozed without scrutiny’, says Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi criticised the manner in which the bill was cleared, saying it was pushed through Parliament without adequate debate or examination. He pointed out that the opposition’s demand to refer the bill to a standing committee was rejected.

According to him, any law that fundamentally alters the rural employment framework and affects crores of workers should undergo detailed scrutiny, expert consultation and public hearings before approval.

Claim of dilution of rights-based guarantee

Targeting the central government, the Congress leader said the proposed law dismantles the rights-based and demand-driven nature of MGNREGA and replaces it with a rationed system controlled from Delhi. He argued that this shift undermines the autonomy of states and villages.

Rahul Gandhi alleged that the intent behind the move is to centralise power and weaken labour, particularly impacting rural communities such as Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis.

Defence of MGNREGA’s impact

Highlighting the role of MGNREGA, Gandhi said the scheme provided rural workers with bargaining power, reduced distress migration and improved wages and working conditions, while also contributing to rural infrastructure development.

He also recalled the role of MGNREGA during the Covid period, stating that it prevented crores of people from slipping into hunger and debt. According to him, any rationing of a jobs programme first affects women, landless workers and the poorest communities.

Opposition to name change and provisions

The Congress has also objected to the renaming of the scheme, accusing the government of attempting to erase the legacy associated with Mahatma Gandhi. Opposition MPs staged a dharna within the Parliament complex, questioning provisions of the bill that they claim dilute the “soul and spirit” of the original law enacted in 2005.

Under MGNREGA, the government guaranteed 100 days of work in rural areas along with an unemployment allowance if work was not provided. The ‘G RAM G’ bill proposes to raise the guaranteed workdays to 125, while retaining other provisions. However, critics have flagged concerns over employment being linked to pre-approved plans.

The bill was cleared after a midnight voice vote in the Rajya Sabha, following its passage in the Lok Sabha amid protests and walkouts. It will become law once approved by the President.

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AAP dominates Punjab zila parishad polls, leads in most panchayat samiti zones

AAP has won 201 out of 317 declared zila parishad zones in Punjab so far and is leading in a majority of panchayat samiti seats, with counting still underway.

Published

3 days ago

on

December 18, 2025

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Punjab Zila Parishad Polls

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has recorded a strong performance in the Punjab zila parishad elections and is leading in the majority of panchayat samiti zones, as per results declared so far on Thursday. The counting process is still underway and complete results are awaited, officials said.

Polling for the rural local bodies was held on December 14 to elect representatives across 347 zones of 22 zila parishads and 2,838 zones of 153 panchayat samitis in the state.

AAP secures clear edge in zila parishads

According to the available results, outcomes have been declared for 317 zila parishad zones so far. Of these, the AAP has won 201 zones, placing it well ahead of other parties.

The Congress emerged second with victories in 60 zones, followed by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) with 39 zones. The BJP won four zones, the BSP secured three, while independents claimed 10 zones.

District-wise data shows that the AAP won 22 zones in Hoshiarpur, 19 each in Amritsar and Patiala, 17 each in Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur, and 15 zones in Sangrur. The Congress registered its best performances in Gurdaspur and Ludhiana with eight zones each, followed by Jalandhar with seven zones. The SAD performed strongly in Bathinda with 13 zones, while the BJP managed to win four zones in Pathankot.

AAP leads in panchayat samiti results

In the panchayat samiti elections, trends declared so far indicate that the AAP is leading in a majority of zones. However, officials clarified that counting is ongoing and the final picture will be clear only after all ballot papers are tallied.

Kejriwal, Mann reject opposition allegations

Reacting to the trends, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal said the party’s performance reflected strong rural support for the Bhagwant Mann government’s work. Addressing the media in Mohali along with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Kejriwal dismissed allegations of irregularities raised by opposition parties.

He said the elections were conducted in a fair and free manner and claimed that the results so far showed a clear wave in favour of the AAP in rural Punjab. Kejriwal stated that nearly 70 per cent of the zila parishad and panchayat samiti seats had gone in favour of the party.

Congress, SAD question poll conduct

The Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal, however, accused the ruling party of misusing official machinery. Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring alleged that the AAP had “stolen” the rural mandate and claimed that the results did not reflect genuine public support.

Opposition parties had earlier also accused the AAP government of high-handedness during the polling process, allegations that the ruling party has strongly denied.

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