Kumaraswamy's parting gift to bureaucrats

Everyone feels bad when power has to be handed over. The same was the case for H D Kumaraswamy who had to resign as chief minister of Karnataka after his government had been reduced to a minority.

Kumaraswamy, who was in power for the past 20 months, had his own way of thanking his bureaucrats and staff before he stepped down -- 300 senior engineers transferred, 100 engineers were promoted, 25 Karnataka Administrative Service officials and 65 Deputy Superintendents of Police were given transfer letters as per their liking.

The shocking aspect is that all the transfers and promotions were carried out after the Bharatiya Janata Party had withdrawn support, reducing the Kumaraswamy-led Janata Dal (Secular) government to minority status.

Kumaraswamy was not alone in doling out favours to his pet officials.

Kumaraswamy's brother H D Revanna, who was the Public Works Department minister, was equally generous. After the BJP parted ways with the government, Revanna effected the transfer of 300 senior engineers in his department.

Besides this, nearly 100 engineers in the PWD, Water Resources and Panchayati Raj departments were promoted after the JDS government was reduced to a minority.

On October 8, a day after the BJP officially withdrew support from the government, 37 assistant executive engineers were promoted as executive engineers while 40 assistant engineers were promoted to the post of assistant executive engineers.

Eleven assistant engineers too got the benefit of the government falling as they were promoted to the post of assistant executive engineers.

Now coming to the transfers, 65 assistant executive engineers, 20 executive engineers and 15 superintending engineers in the Water Resources Department have been transferred.

In PWD, 38 assistant engineers, 24 executive engineers and 11 superintending engineers were transferred while in the Panchayati Raj department, 40 engineers were transferred.

Kumaraswamy also dished out a couple of favours to the KAS officers. Apart from carrying out the transfers of 100 inspectors, 65 DSPs and 25 KAS officers too were transferred as per their request.

The Congress has decided not to let this matter go un-noticed. Congress leaders, including former Home Minister, Mallikarjun Kharge, said they will bring the matter to the notice of the Governor.