Intoxicated with power after getting the CM seat, H D Kumaraswamy has threatened an IAS officer, Munish Moudgil, to transfer or suspend him if he does not follow his orders. He stated that “Most of the requests for transfer came from the excise department. I agreed to transfer them back to their previous departments. Twice I’ve got complaints that the transfer order wasn’t implemented. Honesty isn’t enough, senior bureaucrats must also have some humanity. My advice to them is, please be more humane. If you’re honest and yet you act negatively then we may have to transfer you to a department which has lesser significance. They’re not above the government. They have to implement the government’s order, it’s their duty. I’ll wait till Monday and take a call.” This statement shows the autocratic behavior of Kumaraswamy who is sitting on CM’s chair at the mercy of the Congress.
As Excise Commissioner Moudgil took many innovative steps to curb corruption in the department and that’s why he is being framed as anti-woman so that he can be transferred to a less important department. Karnataka government has accused him that he is not allowing transfer of women officers who were transferred to other departments during elections but according to an officer in excise department “out of 513 inspectors and sub-inspectors, only 76 were women have been sent to Vidhana Soudha to create an impression that Moudgil has put them into hardship. But, Moudgil seems ready to accommodate them in non-executive posts in places of their choice. But, the women employees refused to accept it.” When asked about why the inspectors were so keen to go back to old postings at once, the sources said, the renewal of over 10,000 liquors shops were due in June and officials want to make a killing. “Not less than Rs 100 crore will change hands during this period. Moudgil wants to stop this. He has decided to introduce online automatic renewal system to break the cartel and stop the corrupt practice. This is why the lower rung excise department officials are determined to create one excuse or the other to stop him.”
Munish Moudgil is considered an upright and straight-talking officer. He had to face many transfers due to his honest behavior. His wife, D Roopa, was first woman IPS officer from the state of Karnataka. D Roopa came in limelight when she revealed the special treatment to All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader V K Sasikala in prison during previous Congress regime in the state. At that time, she was Director General of police (DGP), prisons in Karnataka. She had to face transfer for revealing about the special treatment to V K Sasikala. The then CM Siddaramaiah, when asked about the reason of transfer, had said “The interaction of both police officers with the media during the course of inquiry was unwarranted, and amounted to a serious violation of All India Services (Conduct) Rules.”
Munish Moudgil is an IIT Bombay alumnus who joined the civil services to serve the country. The Election Commission of India appointed him as the excise commissioner on April 17 to ensure that it is managed in an unbiased manner. Earlier, Moudgil had served as the Commissioner of Survey, Settlement and Land Records in Bengaluru. Before joining the Karnataka cadre, Munish has earlier served in Naxal-infested districts of Odisha. After joining in Karnataka, he took on the resilient mining lobby in Uttara Kannada district and sand mafia in Ramanagaram district.
The Karnataka government has got little time and they should work for the people of state because the coalition is not expected to survive for very long. CM H D Kumaraswamy, rather than utilizing the precious time to serve the people, is busy instead in threatening and transferring the bureaucrats.