Shimla, May 26
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] on Monday strongly opposed the Himachal Pradesh government’s decision to appoint Sanjay Gupta as the regular Chief Secretary, alleging that the move undermines institutional integrity and administrative ethics.
In a statement issued here, CPI(M) state secretary Sanjay Chauhan termed the appointment “a direct attack on transparency and public trust”, claiming that serious corruption allegations, pending FIRs and vigilance complaints were already linked to the officer.
The party alleged that the appointment was aimed at facilitating a possible service extension for the officer, which, according to it, can only be granted after a regular appointment and not while holding additional charge.
CPI(M) further claimed that several complaints related to alleged irregularities, including the Chester Hills land case and alleged procurement and transmission line allocation issues in HPPTCL, had already been submitted to investigating agencies.
The party also referred to observations made by the Himachal Pradesh High Court regarding “institutional integrity” while hearing matters connected to the officer.
Questioning the silence of the opposition BJP on the issue, CPI(M) said the lack of reaction from the main opposition party raised concerns among the public over corruption-related matters.
The Left party demanded immediate withdrawal of the May 26 office order appointing Sanjay Gupta as regular Chief Secretary, suspension of any move to grant service extension, and a fair and time-bound probe into all pending allegations against him.
