Chandigarh, February 16 Opposition parties in Punjab on Monday questioned the presence of the Chief Secretary and DGP at the AAP government's event in Moga for its anti-drug drive and accused the Chief Minister of politicizing the bureaucracy.
They also urged Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria and the Election Commission to take note of it.
Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar termed the event a "rally" and said it was unethical for the AAP government to bring the civil servants to it.
"Seeing the Chief Secretary and the DGP at an Aam Aadmi Party rally raises the question: are the 'steel frame' bureaucrats of India now bowing to political whims? Is this not a clear violation of the All India Services Rules," Jakhar asked in a post on X.
The AAP government on Monday held an event under its 'Yudh Nashian Virudh-2.0' drive at Killi Chahlan village in Moga, where village defence committee members were also present.
The event saw the participation of AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Cabinet ministers, MLAs, Chief Secretary K A P Sinha and Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav.
Both Sinha and Yadav addressed the event.
Referring to their presence at the event, Jakhar said this is "extremely concerning".
"In democracy, the bureaucracy is expected to function with neutrality, but it appears that the steel frame of democracy' -- the civil servants -- has now surrendered to the whims of the AAP," he said.
He alleged that the "entire government machinery" was deployed to serve the political interests of AAP and attempts were made to gather crowds by "misusing public funds".
"Bringing the DGP and the chief secretary to the rally was completely unethical on the part of the AAP government," he added.
Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa too echoed the concerns about the officers' participation.
"Governance cannot become a spectacle of political endorsement," Bajwa said, adding that the deployment of state resources and top officials at an event of AAP under Mann and party supremo Arvind Kejriwal sends a disturbing message to citizens and civil servants alike.
"When the lines between government and party begin to blur, probity in public life is the first casualty, and ultimately it is the taxpayer who pays the price. The Mann government, acting at the behest of Kejriwal, appears to be turning Punjab's governance into a political extension of the AAP leadership," he alleged.
He further alleged that government buses were used for mobilising people.
The government buses are meant to serve the public -- students, workers, farmers and daily commuters -- not to mobilise crowds for political purposes, he said.
He further noted that the presence of the state's highest-ranking administrative and police officers on a "political platform" raises serious questions about institutional independence.
"Civil servants are expected to function with impartiality and uphold constitutional values. Their visible association with a political event orchestrated by the Mann government and AAP leadership undermines public trust and weakens democratic institutions," Bajwa said.
Referring to the addresses by the chief secretary and the DGP during the event, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Daljit Singh Cheema said this results in the politicisation of the state bureaucracy and was not good for democracy.
In a statement here, Cheema said AAP was playing "deceitful politics" by linking its "rally" with the government's 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' drive even though its purpose was to "blow the bugle" for its election campaign ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.
"Government funds were not only used to ferry people to the rally but the entire cost of the rally has been charged to the government. This was despite the fact that the rally was presided over by AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and the Delhi leadership of the party which has no role in governance in Punjab," Cheema alleged.
He said the "rally" also witnessed purely political speeches and levelling of wild allegations against political opponents.
