AAP accuses Punjab Govt of appointing 'junior officials' as BDPOs against rules, demands EC action

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 19

A day after the state government gave charge of BDPOs to around 50 ‘junior’ officers in the state amid strike of BDPOs, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the Congress government of using the strike of BDPOs and DDPOs to manipulate the poll process by ‘appointing junior officers’ as BDPOs against rules.

AAP Ludhiana Lok Sabha in-charge Amandeep Singh Mohie and party’s Punjab spokesperson Ahbaab Singh Grewal, while addressing a press conference, here on Saturday alleged that a serious effort was being made by the Congress government to ‘illegally appoint junior and incompetent officers as BDPOs so that the Congress government could be benefitted during the Assembly elections.

Grewal alleged: “The BDPOs and DDPOs are on strike regarding pay scales. Now, 58 BDPOs have been transferred on Friday, a majority of them to the head office to get them out of the way. More than 50 junior officers, including gram sewaks, panchayat officers, SEPOs, accountants and accounts clerks, who could have never become BDPOs had been illegally promoted in contravention of the principle of seniority and rules. Therefore, by posting them to such crucial posts at this critical juncture just before the elections, the government is making a blatant attempt to post pliable officers in key positions across the state. More such illegal appointments and transfers are on the way.”

Grewal said: “The DDPO, Mohali, Sukhchain Singh, who was spearheading the strike, has been punished and transferred to Fazilka. The president of the BDPOs Association, Navdeep Kaur, has been shunted to Khuian Sarwar in Fazilka.”

Now, AAP has appealed to the Election Commission to take note of the serious ‘violation of rules and attempt to interfere with the process of the upcoming elections in the state’. Notably, the BDPOs and DDPOs have been on strike for the past four days.

Meanwhile, vice-president of the BDPOs Association, Punjab, Dhanwant Singh Randhawa, said: “We have been demanding restoration of old pay scales that were introduced in 1993. We had staged a protest six months ago and the state government had then assured us that our demand will be fulfilled. The government later refused to fulfil our demand, forcing us to go on strike on December 15. Now, BDPOs have been transferred and many junior officials have been given charge of BDPOs against the rules. Even six officials, who are not even state government employees, have been given the charge of BDPOs.”

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