UP shunts officials to stall stir against ‘abusive’ Azam Khan

LUCKNOW: Two private secretaries and five additional private secretaries of senior Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan were on Wednesday transferred after they threatened to go on strike in protest against Khan's alleged misbehaviour.

The secretariat employees have been up in arms against Khan, who they allege is "abusive" and uses "foul language" against them. Their transfer is being seen as a time buying tactic by the government to stop the secretariat staff from going on strike from November 12 on the issue.

Simultaneously, the government also constituted a committee under principal secretary Rahul Bhatnagar to probe into the allegations of misconduct against Khan by a section of his personal staff. The government has also sought the names of the employees willing to serve in the place of the transferred staff.

Secretary, secretariat administration, Arvind Narain Misra, informed the UP Secretariat Employees Association (UPSEA) about the government decision. UPSEA president Yadvendra Mishra welcomed the transfer.

UPSEA has now convened a meeting with other association office bearers and likely to call off its proposed strike on November 12. The association had threatened a stir if the government failed to act on the complaint of Azam's staff.

On October 29 last, two personal secretaries and five additional personal secretaries attached to Azam had submitted a written complaint to the department of secretariat administration (DSA) seeking transfer on grounds that the minister often used foul language against them. UPSEA had announced full support to the disgruntled employees.

Although personal secretaries and additional personal secretaries attached to various ministers are not regular employees of the secretariat as they are recruited at the minister's instance, their service matters are governed under the DSA. They are also entitled to membership of the employees' associations as they draw a monthly stipend for the period they are engaged by a minister.

The state government decided to transfer the staff after Yadvendra Misra issued statements on television news channels threatening Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav of dire consequences in the Lok Sabha elections if their demands were not met.

The government is now mulling action against Yadvendra and other employees for violating provisions of Uttar Pradesh Government Employees Administration & Appeal Rules 1999 which prohibits employees from issuing statements to the media without prior permission of their respective appointing authority.