In a significant move highlighting internal administrative friction, five Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators from Gujarat's Vadodara district have penned a strongly-worded letter to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. The MLAs have accused senior district officials of being "high-handed," neglecting development works, and presenting a "rosy picture" that hides the true plight of common citizens from the government.
Allegations of Neglect and Arrogance
The letter, submitted to the Chief Minister's personal secretary in Gandhinagar on Thursday, carries signatures from Shailesh Mehta (Dabhoi), Ketan Inamdar (Savli), Dharmendrasinh Vaghela (Waghodia), Akshay Patel (Karjan), and Chaitanyasinh Zala (Padra). The lawmakers expressed deep frustration, stating that getting work done for the public has become "like fighting a war" due to the prevailing "mentality of the administrative system."
They specifically targeted the conduct of the District Collector, District Development Officer, Superintendent of Police, and the Commissioner of Police. The MLAs alleged these officers act in a "manner superior to the citizens and the elected representatives," ignoring their suggestions for constituency development. Furthermore, the legislators claimed officials show displeasure when citizens approach their local MLAs for grievance redressal.
A History of Unheeded Complaints
This is not the first time such concerns have been raised. The letter reminds the CM that similar verbal complaints were made in the past, but no action followed. Notably, this incident comes nearly eight years after three BJP MLAs, including Ketan Inamdar, staged a protest against similar "high-handed" bureaucrats in Vadodara.
Speaking about the current situation, Savli MLA Ketan Inamdar explained that the decision to write the letter was a last resort. Their repeated reminders during local Sankalan (coordination) meetings had consistently "fallen on deaf ears." He accused officials of making arbitrary decisions, ignoring practical solutions from MLAs, and forcing common citizens to "run from pillar to post" for basic official work.
Seeking Urgent CM Intervention
The core demand in the letter is the urgent intervention of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. The five MLAs have sought concrete action against the "erring" officials, whom they describe as "unprofessional and acting on personal whims while hiding facts" from the state government.
The legislators warned that this behavior is damaging the government's image, as the administration's failure and the real ground realities are being concealed from the top leadership. By presenting an artificially positive report, the officers are allegedly keeping the government "away from the real situation," which ultimately harms public trust and impedes development.
