Irked by minister's remarks, IAS officers complain to CM

"We expressed our anguish over the minister's remarks," senior bureaucrat Prasantha Mahapatra said after office bearers of AP IAS Officers Association met Reddy here this afternoon.

State's minor irrigation minister T G Venkatesh had raised the hackles of the bureaucracy by his recent remarks in his home town Kurnool that officials who do not have commitment to their duty should be shot dead.

"The association feels that the minister's statement has the potential to incite the public and create law and order problems," the resolution submitted to the Chief Minister said.

"The minister is duty-bound to steer the affairs of the government in accordance with the law and the Constitution. The performance or non-performance of any officer is to be dealt with in accordance to law and rules and procedures of the government," the resolution noted.

"When a person holding a responsible position as minister talks something like this, people could feel it's the right thing to do. What if people go on a spree attacking not only IAS officers but also other government servants," a senior officer said.

The minister has not yet retracted his remarks and, during his talks with the media, only explained the context in which it was made while highlighting the plight of the farmers.

A minister, who joined the Cabinet recently, said on condition of anonymity that the "uneasy" relationship between the ministers and bureaucrats was adversely impacting overall governance.

"The scenario is glaring particularly in the districts where officials seem to be taking things easy. The minor irrigation minister might have vent his ire against bureaucrats in this context," the minister said.