Mamata’s ‘don’t bark’ remark unfortunate: HC

The Calcutta high court on Monday described as unfortunate West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s preference for the words “gheu gheu” — the vernacular equivalent of the sound of a dog’s bark — while ticking off government employees demanding a raise in dearness allowance.

The court was hearing a case filed by state employees who are demanding dearness allowance (DA) at par with their central government counterparts. Acting chief justice Nishita Mahtre observed that the use of such words was unfortunate.

On September 7, while addressing a meeting of state government employees, Banerjee had said: “Let me tell you, it is useless to bark (to extract financial benefits). You can’t make me do something by exerting pressure.”

She told the employees that her government would clear DA backlogs by 2019.

The chief minister used the words “gheu gheu” at least thrice in her speech.

“Have those, who are barking, found out how a government manages to run under great financial stress? You have raised loans all these years...” she remarked.

Banerjee’s choice of words instantly became a subject of lampooning with people posting photos and caricatures of dogs and calling the canines state government employees standing at the receiving end.

Many started posting metaphors, interpreting ‘a dog’s life’.

On Monday, the bench of acting chief justice Mahtre and justice Tapabrata Chakraborty was hearing a case filed by Confederation of State Government Employees, a frontal organisation of the Congress, and the Left government employees’ unions.

The unions questioned the state’s decision to pay them 55% less DA than the Centre.

The Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday terminated the services of suspended Dalit IAS officer Shashi Karnawat under the provisions of the All India Service (Discipline and Appeals) Rules, 1969.

The state government issued a statement on Tuesday evening announcing the termination.

Prior to her suspension, Karnawat was deputy secretary in youth and sports welfare department. A state civil service officer, she was promoted to IAS in 1999. In 2013, she was sentenced to five years in jail by Mandla district court in a corruption case (zila panchayat printing scam of 19992000). After a brief stint in jail, the MP HC gave her bail in October that year. She was under suspension since. Karnawat was pressing for her reinstatement and higher wages during the period.

She said she was shocked by the decision as her appeal was still pending before court and CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan had assured her she would reinstated.

NEERAJ SANTOSHI