Monday, September 12 2005 20:38 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Accusing the Election Commission of playing a partisan role in transferring Bihar Government officials in the poll-bound state, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) today (Sept 12, 2005) demanded reservation in constitutional bodies, including the topmost poll panel.

''Mostly the officers belonging to dalits and minority communities are being shifted by the EC whose actions smack of bias against our party,'' RJD national spokesman Shivanand Tiwari told reporters.

Denouncing the 'large-scale' shifting of officials from weaker sections of the society, Tiwari said if the trend was not stopped, the party might take recourse to 'strict action'.

He, however, declined to disclose what action the party proposed to take if the transfers were not stopped.

Tiwari said the way state government officials were being shifted by the orders of the Commission, it appeared that the posts of the Governor and the Chief Secretary became 'redundant and they have been replaced by the EC'.

The RJD leader said his party would raise the issue of reservations for SC, ST and OBC in constitutional bodies during and after the assembly polls so that these institutions acted in an 'impartial' manner and officials belonging to those section got 'fair treatment'.

Tiwari asked the EC to keep a watch on their observers as, he alleged, they treated the state officials as their 'private servants' during the elections.