TALES OF TRAVESTY
dR. JITENDRA SINGH
What could be greater injustice to a high profile, if not high flying, bureaucrat than to command him to cool his heels in oblivion… even though temporarily ? But, that is precisely what is sought to be done by the Election Commission in recommending an amendment that retired bureaucrats be asked to go through a “cooling time” before joining any political party after they have ceased to be in active service.
Now, just imagine the predicament of a bureaucrat who has taught himself never to look back from the moment he was inducted into IAS! Thirty to thirtyfive years of powerful positioning in hierarchy gets virtually ingrained in the DNA. The career graph learns to be ever on the upbeat. A brief stint as a Deputy Secretary followed by elevation as an Additional Secretary or SDM, then as Collector or Deputy Commissioner, on to Secretary….Commissioner.. Union Secretary and finally, wishfully the Cabinet secretary or the Chief Secretary. There is no such word like “superanuation” for these blue-eyed members of civil services. Obviously, therefore, their natural expectation after retirement is either to be appointed as a Governor or Ambassador, or to be forcefully inducted into politics and sworn in as a Minister. And, hence, denial of this post-retirement privilege may not be easily acceptable.
The IAS, a reincarnation of erstwhile ICS (Indian Civil services) in the British Raj, was conditioned to exercise feudalist authority and ruthlessly collect the “Lagaan” or revenue. Incidentally, unlike the ICS, the IAS that took over, conferred upon itself yet another enviable prerogative… that of making a fortune through whatever means and going scotfree after scams, embezzlements and corruption charges.
A general perception is that there exists a strong bureaucrat-politician nexus which prompts many a bureaucrat to develop a partisan instinct in favour of a certain politician or political party during concluding years before retirement in the unspoken hope of receiving a political assignment after retirement. This is the reason why there is a strong public opinion in favour of the Election Commission suggestion that there should be a time – bar fixed only after which a bureaucrat be allowed to join a political party following retirement from government service.
Nevertheless, while the government has so far shown little inclination to accept the Election Commission suggestion, the bureaucrat lobby also seems to be exercising its clout and influence to prevent enactment of any such law which could come in the way of their smooth rapid transition from Civil Secretariate to “Mantralaya”, from “IAS” to “Minister”. Gone are the days of Victorian humour about the bureaucrat ever in waiting to stand up and say “Yes Minister”. The 21st century bureaucrat, on the contrary, longs to hear the music of himself being addressed as “Yes Minister”.
Macaulay told us almost a century ago that democracy nurses a certain genre of aristocracy. And learning from the Indian experience, democracy is always loaded with a certain genre of feudalist class. Be that as it may, to usher in a democracy or feudalism, the ultimate remedy is not law but the common man’s astuteness to vote without getting carried away by such extraneous auras. Till the time this happens, bureaucrats and politicians will continue to share the loaves and fishes of cosy offices and continue to deliberate on nation’s problems over lavish banquets, thus prompting Umapathy to drop Akbar Allahabadi’s poetic refrain : ‘‘Qaum Ke Gham Mein Dinner Khaatey Hain Huk-kam Ke Saath……’’
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