Officer's loyalty should be to Constitution, not ruling party: Dotasra slams Rajasthan CS

Dotasra said when the states top bureaucrat is welcoming a Rajya Sabha MP or the ruling partys president in such a manner, it raises concerns not only about protocol but also about adherence to the Constitution and the independence of the bureaucracy.

Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra on Tuesday criticised the state's Chief Secretary V Srinivas for welcoming BJP national president, saying ''an officer's loyalty should be to the Constitution, not to the ruling party.'' Srinivas had welcomed Nabin with a bouquet during his visit to Jaipur on Tuesday at the GRAM Rath Abhiyan function. He raised questions over bureaucratic neutrality and protocol. Dotasra said when the state's top bureaucrat is welcoming a Rajya Sabha MP or the ruling party's president in such a manner, it raises concerns not only about protocol but also about adherence to the Constitution and the independence of the bureaucracy. The image of Srinivas presenting a bouquet to Nabin, which was shared on the social media platform X and circulated widely, triggered the reactions. ''Such actions by a senior official could send a wrong message down the administrative chain and reflect a perception of partisan influence, compromising the dignity of the post,'' he said. Dotasra said that excessive eagerness or proximity should not overshadow constitutional values. He said questions over such conduct are natural. ''An officer's loyalty should be to the Constitution, not to the ruling party. This raises the question whether this was merely protocol or a display of political allegiance,'' he said.