Ex-IAS officer Senthil to join state Congress today

A 2009 batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer from Tamil Nadu, Senthil has been a harsh critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government and the right wing groups ever since he quit civil service in September last year, in “search of a method to stem the totalitarian attack on the country that I so dearly love.”

A statement posted on his Twitter handle said, “In this one year, I had an opportunity to experience the spirit of India. I had met some of the best human beings that I had ever seen in my life. I had visited many places, participated in many protests, interacted with young and courageous students, stood hand in hand with the people who had nothing but love in their heart. A spokesperson of Tamil Nadu Congress confirmed the former bureaucrat’s statement and said that he would join the Congress in the presence of state president KS Alagiri at the party state headquarters Sathyamurthy Bhavan at half past noon Monday.

Senthil would be the latest Karnataka cadre bureaucrat to quit service for politics. A few months ago, Karnataka cadre IPS officer from Tamil Nadu, Annamalai had quit service and joined the BJP.

Justifying his association with Congress, Senthil tweeted, “I have decided to be a part of the Congress movement to realise the goal. Congress as a movement has always been one that is consistent with the founding ideologies of the Constitution and that which moves with the people. The current leadership understands the spirit of this ideological fight and recognises that India has to be for all. It believes in the power of cooperation, not competition. It believes in unity and harmony not divisiveness and hatred,” he stated.