Maneka Gandhi, a Bharatiya Janata Party MP and animal rights activist, has come in support of the IAS couple Sanjeev Khirwar and Rinku Dugga, who have been transfered from Delhi to Ladakh and Arunachal for misuse of a govt stadium to walk their dog. Both of them were transferred after it was reported that they had athletes and coaches to vacate the Delhi stadium so that they can walk their dog in the evening. The controversial politician said that the transfer of the IAS couple is a loss for Delhi. She also criticised the government’s decision, claiming that the accusation that they abused their position is incorrect.
“I know Sanjeev Khirwar very well. The allegations against him are false,” she said. “One can’t transfer just anyone anywhere. Delhi will suffer a loss due to the order and the Centre’s move is a conspiracy,” she added.
Maneka Gandhi said Sanjeev Khirwar’s transfer from Delhi is Delhi’s loss, referring to the IAS couple’s relocation as a “punishment posting.” She said, “When Khirwar was secretary of the environment department, Delhi benefited from his work. The action against him is completely wrong.”
“Moreover, Ladakh and Arunachal are places where people go happily. Why are these places being treated as punishment postings? These places too need good officers,” she further added, making contradictory statement. While she said Delhi benefited from their work, she opposed their transfer to Ladakh and Arunachal because these places also need good officers.
When asked about Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra’s remark on the transfer of the officers, Maneka Gandhi replied, “Transfer is NOT the sole disciplinary option available for irresponsible officers.”
The ‘dog walking’ controversy
According to the Indian Express on Thursday (May 26), athletes and coaches were being forced to stop their training before 7 PM in order to allow Delhi’s Principal Secretary (Revenue) Sanjeev Khirwar to walk his dog at the Thyagraj Stadium in the evening. According to the story, athletes who used to train under lights until 8-8:30 PM were told to leave by 7 PM. Sanjeev Khirwar and his wife Rinku Dugga were seen with their dog on the stadium grounds.
Following the complaints, both officers were relocated from their current posting location in Delhi by the Ministry of Home Affairs. In an order issued on Thursday (May 26), the MHA relocated IAS officer Sanjeev Khirwar from Delhi to Ladakh, while his wife Rinku Dugga was transferred to Arunachal Pradesh.
The transfer of the bureaucrat couple was initiated due to their apparent abuse of power and position in Delhi; the episode has highlighted the impropriety and elitism of the stated IAS couple. The move is viewed as a punitive action because both husband and wife were posted at a single location under the central government’s ‘spouse posting’ option, and they would now be obliged to serve at different places as a result of the relocation.
