By IANS,
Chennai: AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalithaa has urged the Election Commission of India to see that retired government employees who are re-hired on contract basis by Tamil Nadu government are not deputed for election duty.
Citing the decision of the Tamil Nadu government to hire retired government employees on contract basis Jayalalithaa in a letter written to the Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla Sunday said: “If the retired government employees, after their re-employment, are engaged in election work it would facilitate the ruling DMK government to depute the retired employees as electoral officers to rig the polls.”
“Moreover, the appointment of retired government employees would be a basis for large scale irregularities and mal-practices in the next assembly polls.”
She said in her letter that the retired government employees are appointed only on contract basis and their services will be only at the mercy of the ruling DMK government.
Therefore, the retired government employees would owe their allegiance to the DMK party in the next assembly polls.
She argued those hired on contract basis would be bound by the terms of the contract and any action for misconduct or mal-practice can be initiated by the government only as per the contract.
“However, with regard to the staff who can be deputed for election work, it is mandatory that the staff should be under the control of the president or the governor as the case may be and as such would be in a position to exercise disciplinary powers should they go against the president or the governor’s directive,” Jayalalithaa noted in her letter.