IAS officer Umrao Salodia, chairman of Rajasthan Roadways Development Corporation has announces that he is converting from Hinduism to Islam on December 31, 2015, besides quitting from his present post.
Umrao Salodia a dalit is a 1978 batch IAS officer said he has applied for VRS and given three months notice asking to be relieved by March 31, 2016. He alleged that he was discriminated by higher officers and not being made chief secretary.
In a letter to Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Salodia has claimed that if he were made the CS, he would have been the first SC/ST to have become CS since Independence. But, the Raje government took away this opportunity from him by letting Rajan continue.
“Under the fundamental right Article 25(1) of the Constitution of India guarantees to every the freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practise and propogate religion. I have converted myself from Hinduism tto Islam”, he writes.
Salodia said that he was highly impressed by the teachings of Islam and from now onwards he will be known as Umrao Khan.
However, Salodia was never a favourite for the highest office of the state bureaucracy because of an ongoing case in anti corruption bureau against him as also on merit. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was also not inclined to make any officer as chief secretary who has only a few months to retire.
The Rajasthan government in October transferred Director General of Jawahar Kala Kendra Umrao Salodia to the post of Chairman of Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation.