BHOPAL: The municipal commissioner of Ujjain was transferred by the Madhya Pradesh government on Thursday ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit on October 11 to inaugurate the first phase of the Mahakal Temple corridor project there.
The transfer of 2016-batch Indian Administrative Service official Anshul Gupta as deputy secretary, the order of which was issued by state chief secretary Iqbal Singh Bains, gave rise to speculation that it had some link to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's visit to the temple city during Dussehra.
Chouhan was in Ujjain on Wednesday and had taken part in the 'Mahakal ki Sawari' function there and offered prayers at the renowned Mahakaleshwar Temple.
Sources said MP Urban Development Minister Bhupendra Singh, who had accompanied Chouhan, had reportedly expressed displeasure at the functioning of the Ujjain civic corporation against the backdrop of the PM's visit.
They also claimed Gupta was not getting along with corporators and staffers of the municipal corporation.
However, MP Congress media department chairperson KK Mishra said Gupta was shunted out as a cow had come in the way of the CM's motorcade on Wednesday, which irked Chouhan.
Meanwhile, a section of municipal staffers burst crackers and beat drums at the gate of the civic body's headquarters on Thursday after getting to know of Gupta's transfer.
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