Wednesday, May 11 2005 18:31 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Senior bureaucrat L V Saptarishi, who is in the eye of a storm following his attack on Election Commissioners B B Tandon and N Gopalaswamy, has said that he had raised some issues on the election in Chapra Lok Sabha constituency in "national interest".

The Director General of Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART) has, in his reply to the show-cause notice of the Personnel Department on his attack against the two Commissioners, said that he had done it in "national interest", as IAS officers have also been given powers to "protect" the Constitution.

Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, under whose Ministry CAPART comes, said today (May 11, 2005) that Saptarishi has said that he had written to the Law Minister H R Bhardwaj and held a media conference on the issue "keeping the Constitution in view".

The three-page reply by Saptarishi, who was Special Observer in Bihar during the Lok Sabha elections last year (2004), has been sent to the Personnel Department, the Minister said.

Last week, the controversial IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre had written to Bhardwaj saying that the two Election Commissioners had attempted to get the poll in Chapra, where Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav was a candidate, countermanded.

Saptarishi had alleged that Gopalaswamy had even said at a meeting that, "Yadavs should be taught a lesson".

Later he followed this up with a press conference in New Delhi, in which he repeated the allegations following which the Personnel Department had issued the show-cause notice seeking his explanation.

He was accused of violating Civil Service (conduct) Rules and was told he was liable to be proceeded against for his actions. Saptarishi refused to discuss the contents of his reply.

The Minister today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and discussed the issue with him.

Asked about Prime Minister's comments fully backing the Commission, the Minister said, "Who can disagree with the Prime Minister on maintaining the dignity and decorum of the Election Commissioner".

He said that the Prime Minister told him that dignity of the Commission should always be upheld.