IAS officers, BJP leaders at loggerheads in Opposition-ruled Telangana, Jharkhand

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman publicly reprimanded the collector of the Kamareddy district.

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman publicly reprimanded the collector of the Kamareddy district, Jitesh Patil, after she asked him about the Centre's and the state's share of the rice at fair-price shops. In another instance, an FIR has been registered against nine people, including BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey and Manoj Tiwari, for allegedly forcing Air Traffic Control (ATC) officials to issue clearance for their chartered flight to take off from Deoghar airport.

Telangana

Addressing the collector, the senior BJP leader said, “The central government has been giving free rice and I have come here to find out if it is really reaching the people. Can you tell me how much the centre is paying, the contribution of the state government, and how much you are charging people before the free supply came about during March-April 2020, when the pandemic started?”

“You are an officer of the Indian Administrative Service, belonging to the Telangana cadre...You are telling me the state is giving Rs 34? Excuse me! You want to think about your answer," Nirmala Sitharaman said.

Sitahraman further asked the collector why a portrait of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not installed at the fair price shop.

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“Whenever our party puts up PM Modi’s photo or banner, it is torn or removed. Can you ensure as a district collector that it does not happen in the future? I will return to this place and check,” the Finance Minister said.