Proposed AIS Rules changes harmful to States: KCR

Hyderabad: Telangana has joined the list of states who are "strongly" opposing the Central government's proposed amendments to the All India Services (Cadre) Rules, 1954.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling it a dangerous move "which violates the spirit of Constitution and will further strain the Centre-State relationship". A day after Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan and Tamil Nadu's MK Stalin joined the list of chief ministers opposing the proposed amendment, Rao also demanded the Centre to drop the move.

KCR wrote that the proposed amendments militate against the federal structure of the Constitution, both in letter and spirit.

"Further, the proposed amendments will also seriously erode the All-India Service (AIS) character of the IAS, IPS and IFS. Telangana State Government, therefore, strongly oppose the proposed amendments," reads the letter. "The proposal shows scant regard to the administrative exigencies and requirements of the States. The proposed amendments threaten the spirit of mutual adjustments and accommodation between states and Central governments in the matter of shared All India Services and will further strain the Centre-State relationship," wrote the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief. Stating that the proposed amendment is "nothing but amending the Constitution of India relating to the Centre-State relations", KCR said instead of such a "backdoor method" of amending the AIS Rules, the Government of India should muster "courage" to amend the provisions by the Parliament.