Bhubaneswar: Opposition BJD, civil society organisations and retired bureaucrats on Sunday criticised the state govt’s latest transfer and posting of undersecretaries, which mentioned SC (scheduled caste) and ST (scheduled tribe) against the officers’ names. BJP said the BJD was making an issue out of a non-issue.
BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said he could not understand the logic behind mentioning SC and ST against the names of officials. “It was not a selection list for a govt job. The department knows which officer belongs to what caste,” he said, adding, “Govt should emphasise the real development of the SC and ST communities instead of indulging in symbolic things.”
He further said the govt has been thumping its chest about promoting Odia Asmita, but Saturday’s notification was not issued in Odia. “Where is the Odia Asmita (pride) of the govt? Why did the govt issue the notification in English?” he asked.
Odia Asmita Parishad convener Rabindranath Behera said the govt notification hurt the sentiments of not only the officers but also the communities. “This is unbecoming on the part of the home department, which directly comes under the chief minister,” he said. “The country has a tribal President, and Odisha has a tribal CM. Do we write ST after their names?” he asked.
He said BJP commited to issue all govt notifications and letters in Odia. “But alas, the latest letter is published in English,” he added.
A retired bureaucrat, Prasanna Mishra, wrote on X, “I find in some cases, transfer orders of Odisha govt officers show a strange practice of writing SC or ST against the name of an official transferred. This needs to be stopped forthwith.”
BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal said, “Mentioning SC and ST in the transfer list is not illegal or unconstitutional. It is unfortunate that some people and organisations are making it an issue.”