Dakshina Kannada BJP chief dubs Senthil 'anti-national'

Mangaluru: The district unit of the BJP sharpened the knives for Sasikanth Senthil S, former deputy commissioner, who resigned from IAS over what he said, was compromise of fundamental building blocks of our diverse democracy. The party maintained that civil servants and politicians alike should know their limits and such comments will only be construed as a person being ‘anti-national’ and not be considered otherwise.

Referring to the officer’s comments in interviews to the media wherein he allegedly mentioned issues of triple talaq, abrogation of provisions of Article 370 in the Kashmir context, construction of Ram Mandir as the issues with which he had problems, Sanjeeva Mantandoor, president of district unit of BJP said, “As a central government employee, he should know his limitations and not cross them. It is this rajadharma that binds politicians too,” he told reporters in Mangaluru.

Asserting that BJP MLAs and even DK MP Nalin Kumar Kateel had the highest regard for him as a DC and had even asked chief minister B S Yediyurappa to continue with him in the district when the government was effecting other transfers, he said Parliament had legislated on policies with which Senthil had reservations and the President had approved them. These were issues of the common man that the Union government had acted on, he added.

Senthil has been part of the system for the past five years and 100 days since the Union government led by Narendra Modi took charge. So what prompted a change in the last few days, he wondered.

Political ideology

Senthil has clearly revealed his mentality to the nation with his much publicised statement on reasons for quitting the service, he said. As an officer, one must work impartially. An officer who has politically inspired ideology and remains in power is a danger to democracy, he said. At the same time, Matandoor refused to speculate on allegations of corruption that section of stakeholders pertaining to sand mining made against him on Sunday.