Lucknow, Mar 21: Samajwadi Party president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has called the suspension of a senior IAS officer for alleged irregularities in solar projects merely a “drama” and claimed that the “last stop of this corruption is not the officer, but someone else”.
Yadav’s remarks followed the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to suspend senior IAS officer and the chief executive officer (CEO) of ‘Invest UP’, Abhishek Prakash, over complaints of corruption and irregularities.
An alleged middleman, Nikant Jain, has been arrested in connection with the case.
Invest UP is the state’s investment promotion agency tasked with attracting and facilitating investments.
“This is the truth of ease of doing business in Uttar Pradesh, where commission is being openly demanded in the name of industrial development and when the matter is exposed, a drama of suspension is being staged,” Yadav said in a post on X.
“The last stop of this corruption is not the officer, but someone else,” he added.
Prakash, a 2006-batch IAS officer, was suspended after a solar industry investor filed a complaint alleging that Nikant Jain demanded commission to facilitate approvals for projects using the Invest UP CEO’s name.
Jain was subsequently arrested on Thursday.
The suspension order said, “Abhishek Prakash, Secretary, Establishment and Industrial Development Department, UP government, and Chief Executive Officer, Invest UP, has been found guilty prima facie for the irregularities in the case. His act is a violation of Rule-3 of All India Services (Conduct) Rules-1968.
“Therefore, after due consideration of the above facts and circumstances, the governor suspends Prakash, IAS, with immediate effect.”(PTI)
