Former telecom minister Kapil Sibal today said shifting J S Deepak from the Telecom Ministry was "uncalled for" and sends wrong signals to bureaucrats.
"I think this is really uncalled for, because what is the bureaucracy there for? Bureaucracy is meant to independently advise you, the political establishment, as to what is happening in the sector and what should be done," Sibal told PTI.
He alleged that the move sends a "signal to the rest of the bureaucrats that if you speak out and air your views which are not in line with the views of the present establishment, then you are not part of us".
Deepak could not be reached for comments.
On March 1, Telecom Secretary Deepak was named India's next Ambassador to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) from June this year.
The order, which was effective immediately, came when Deepak was attending the Mobile World Congress at Barcelona. He will now serve as Officer on Special Duty in the Commerce Department till May 31 this year.
From June 1, he will take over as India's Ambassador/ Permanent Representative to the Geneva-based WTO till the date of his superannuation, that is July 31 next year.
Terming Deepak as a "fine officer", Sibal alleged that the transfer came after the bureaucrat flagged the sector's falling revenue and rising debt at a recent Telecom Commission meeting.
"They are supposed to speak out their mind so that political establishment can, after getting the inputs, then take a decision to whatever they want to do. If you want to stifle the voice of an independent bureaucrat, the message to the rest of the bureaucracy is that either you are with us or you are out," Sibal claimed.
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