Maha Govt shouldn't blame bureaucracy for its failures: Oppn

Mumbai: Terming the remarks of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis about non-cooperation from bureaucracy as "unfortunate", the opposition Congress-NCP on Wednesday said the government should not make someone else a scapegoat to hide its failures.

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil told reporters that Fadnavis had failed to give direction and vision to the bureaucracy.

"Comments of the Chief Minister against the bureaucracy is unfortunate. He should not cover up his own failures by making the bureaucracy a scapegoat. He is not willing to give direction and vision to the bureaucracy. It is only then desired results will be achieved," he said.

Similarly, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik speaking to reporters wondered if the bureaucracy which is known to be efficient and meritorious is being asked to do any illegal work.

"If that is so, the law abiding bureaucrats will never listen to Fadnavis," he said.

Criticising the Chief Minister for targeting the bureaucracy, Malik said 50 per cent of the bureaucracy is in government service taking benefits of reservations.

"RSS has recently spoken against reservations. Fadnavis is targeting the bureaucracy to create a divide on caste lines," he charged.

Malik said there is unrest in the bureaucracy after Chief Minister's remarks.

"Fadnavis is trying to run the government with few privately appointed OSD (officers of special duty). The clarification given by the Chief Minister's Office that appointing ODS is an old practise of Congress-NCP is not true. We did appoint OSD but the appointment was made from the government cadre only," he said.

Recently, Fadnavis in Nagpur had said the state bureaucracy was not fully co-operating with the new government and this was posing a hurdle in implementing policies.

Meanwhile, the Congress and the NCP also took a swipe at the government over the proposed 10 per cent fare hike of state transport buses.