Barely after working for a fortnight Veera Rana, IAS and principal secretary to Governor of Madhya Pradesh Anandiben Patel has gone on leave reportedly over differences with the latter.
The former Gujarat chief minister who was appointed Madhya Pradesh Governor in January this year has had an uneven relationship with her previous principal secretary M Mohan Rao. Mohan Rao was removed from his position in July last month and Veera Rana, a senior bureaucrat was appointed. The Governor specifically wanted a female IAS officer to be her principal secretary.
Veera Rana joined on 11th July and after working for a few days went on leave after giving an application to general Administration Department without waiting for her leave to be sanctioned. Rana, an IAS officer from the 1988 batch had proceeded on child care leave. Rana was not available for comments.
Sources in the Raj Bhavan said that Governor Anandiben Patel was at loggerheads with Rana like her previous principal secretary. Patel had differences with her secretary over Patel publishing a coffee table book on completion of 100 days at the Bhopal Raj Bhavan.
The coffee table book was published at the behest of Governor Anandiben Patel. Her former principal secretary had certain reservations regarding this. After the coffee table book was published there was a controversy over it as many in the political and bureaucratic circle did not like the way Governor made an exhibit of her achievements in the first three months of her tenure.
Sources said that Anandiben has requested the chief minister to give her a woman officer. And it was after this, Veera Rana was appointed. However, the lady officer too did not fit the expectations of Governor and had problems functioning at Raj Bhavan.
Veera Rana stopped going to office from August 2. Government has not posted any other officer as her replacement. In absence of the principal secretary, Law Secretary Bharat Maheswari is acting as secretary to Governor.
Ever since her arrival in Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel has been in news for her activism in the Raj Bhawan Bhopal. Her proactive behaviour and constant monitoring of schemes by the government has set many tongues wagging about her role as governor which is largely ceremonial.
Recently, she was in the eye of the storm for making a controversial remark about the marriage of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a program of women and child welfare department run at the anganwadi centre. She said that Prime Minister Modi did not marry. It is a known fact that Prime Minister Modi in his election affidavit has said that he is married to Jasodaben who resides in Gujarat.