Thiruvananthapuram: Following his suspension over the controversial remarks against a senior colleague, Agriculture Department Special Secretary N Prasanth commented that he believes fabricating reports is not a government policy, and that it was a new revelation to him that opposing such fake reports would result in disciplinary measures. He was speaking to a private channel.

Prasanth’s full response

“I haven’t received any details about the disciplinary action. This is a new experience for me. I wasn’t informed or asked anything; they’re speaking about the matter in the middle of the night. Criticising the government or its policies is wrong and action can be taken. I don’t think anyone will be of the opinion that I have done anything like that. My criticism was aimed at certain individuals’ inappropriate tendencies, particularly regarding fabricated reports. Evidence has also come to light regarding this. I trust that creating fake reports is not a government policy, but if criticising such actions leads to consequences, that’s news to me.

“Freedom of expression is a right guaranteed equally to all citizens by the Constitution. I am unaware of any boundary I may have crossed within this right. Let’s see the order, and then I’ll consider my next steps. I was not born with a sole ambition of being an IAS officer. I have other interests and pursuits. To me, this isn’t anything that is important.

“No one should assume that I’d be shocked by all this. Isn’t there a fascist tendency in expecting others to dictate where and how I exercise my freedom of speech? Perhaps I spoke in a way some may not appreciate, but as long as I haven’t violated any rules or laws, any attempt to restrict that is often what’s referred to as fascism.

“Government system in India and Kerala are bound to function within the framework of the Constitution. It’s unacceptable if an officer silently works behind the scenes without accountability, while honest voices are silenced when they speak out. Does anyone genuinely believe this is fair? Random people can’t simply insist that things should have been done in a certain way or with more maturity. In India, no one has the legal right to restrict anyone’s speech based on these grounds.”