Suspended officer’s message gets chief minister on wrong foot

BHOPAL - Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was caught on the wrong foot Friday when he released a book that carried a message from an IAS officer who has been suspended by the government on corruption charges.

The book “Sankalan,” published by the women and child welfare department, was released during the launch of Atal Bal Arogya Kalyan Scheme, a health care programme for children. The message in it was by Tinu joshi, former principal secretary of the department, who is facing a corruption probe.

The income tax department had seized Rs.3 crore when it raided the home of Tinu Joshi, along with her husband Arvind Joshi, former principal secretary in the water resources department, in February this year. Since then, the couple remain suspended.

Later, the anti-corruption ombudsman Lokayukta of Madhya Pradesh also raided the premises of the IAS couple.

Chouhan did not make any comment on the book. The present principal secretary of women and child welfare department Ranjana Baghel told reporters that as the book had gone to print very early, the message could not be removed.