Why we worship the bureaucrats, even the most corrupt kinds?
Debureaucratising Indian society is the way to a free and open society! Babus may tire, but not retire!
Delhi is crowded by retired bureaucrats!
PM must help to give room for new faces, new talents!
Can a country of India’s size and stature be run exclusively by bureaucrats and the retired bureaucrats?
After the incumbent PM took over as PM, it looks like all bureaucrats seem to have become bold and start feathering their nests! All imaginable new opportunities, new institutions are grabbed by these classes of retired fellows who seem to imagine there is no one to question them. Reports coming from Delhi are very disturbing. The consequences? Oh, there are so many consequences to the detriment of fall in governance standards, no firm vision whatever, no resolute action, the quality of government servi8ces is steadily declining.
The spread of Naxalite violence, the latest the ULFA violence in Assam, the threat to national integration, the lack of leadership to provide the necessary emotional bonding to the poor and the vulnerable, the daily reports of disappearance of children, women is really very disturbing and poignant. Unfortunately, we don’t hear anything from any of the agencies entrusted with the task of responding, reacting in a manner that is befitting to an evolving and mature democratic society.
The way the PM seems to be conducting himself from a safe distance from the people, from the peoples’ problems, the way Sonia Gandhi is reported to have now been distancing herself from the needed public profile, of course due to perceived threats etc only contribute to this growing disillusionment of the people at the steady erosion of the moral authority of the government.
Why the PM chooses to retain so many committees composed mostly of retired bureaucrats or experts even after half way through his term? The New Delhi government bungalows are over-full, the illegal occupations continue, new expenditure continues to be incurred on so many of them and the committees seem not to have contributed visibly much to bring about any new confidence.
It is in this depressing scenario comes one more report.
The HRD ministry seems to be topping the list of favoring this retired bureaucrats’ bonanza! One Mr.Banerji, retired weeks ago just now been appointed as special adviser! Now, he is also appointed as the first chancellor of the NCERT, another white elephant! He is said to have been the blue-eyed boy of the HRD minister! Another HRD bureaucrat, Baswan, seems to have been appointed as consultant to the Planning Commission. The Commission seems to have becoming the dumping ground for all bureaucrats who want to live happily in Delhi after their retirement. And you, the unfortunate citizen, imagine that the 11th Plan is going to deliver you from poverty! With this sort of cynicism on the part of our rulers!
Lalu is another man with too much ambition. He has appointed one Jha, to do research on Bihar and he is hanging on in the Planning Commission. There are too many institutions to accommodate enough of any number of the retired bureaucrats. World Bank and IMF are all for bright ones like the PM and Ahluwalia who had their earlier stints there, now there are many who want to imitate them PM and his favorite deputy! We just give the names: Pratyush Sinha, the CVC man, Haldea, again to the Commission, Nigam, to the same dingy building! UPSC was once the charmed circle. Here too some migrate. The latest is one Tripathy.
Ministry of External Affairs is the happy hunting ground for the ambitious and the notorious; Natwar Singh himself is an example of a bureaucrat over-powering himself. Poor man, he imagined himself he was on the same road like K.R.Narayanan, Yashwant Sinha, Mani Shankar Ayyar, who knows the ambitions of these once-“zeehuzoor”men who salute and bow and even touch the feet of the political bosses? They all imagine they are all Prime Minister Material! So, ambitions soar!
Policemen turning into charmed PMO circle, the present incumbent national security adviser, M.K.Narayanan, seem to favor his IPS cadre men! It seems the PM himself is a bit bored of the scenario of his own office is becoming a butt of joke! How many he can accommodate? So, he seems to have sent out a circular, no, no more than three dozen circulars regarding personnel matters! All officers working in various multilateral institutions for more than 15 years please get out and revert to your own parent cadre!
Who is going to listen to the PM directive?
Bureaucrats know the real power links. So, we can be sure they are working overtime, not to serve their country but their own interests! So, even a hint of approval from 10, Jan Path is much more effective than any number of PMO circulars! Even an ordinary peon at the AICC has powerful links with the bad guys in politics!
Of course, everyone is not like Natwar Singh who fell so suddenly! Not many have his pedigree or his arrogance! In the Delhi bureaucratic jungle meekness and patience work wonders! And we Indians are spineless people; we don’t assert our rights or our own freedoms! That is our strength or our terrible weakness! So, be it!