Power play: babus turn in as netas

BHUBANESWAR:  Politicians  come and go but it is the bureaucrats, who run the country – goes the saying. But the recent spate of high profile civil servants joining different political parties post retirement or after taking voluntary retirement reveals their other side.Babus turning netas is nothing new in Odisha. From late Bhage Gobardhan and late Pyari Mohan Mohapatra to Kharabela Swain and Jatish Chandra Mohanty, the list is long. But, this election the stream appears to have turned into a big flow.

Be it senior IAS officer Aparajita Sarangi, who opted for VRS and joined BJP, or top cop former Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik who joined BJD, the babu-turned netas are blazing the poll trail in 2019.An intriguing IAS-IPS clash is unfolding in the prestigious Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency as Aparajita is pitted against Arup from the seat. The neighbouring Cuttack Parliamentary constituency, another high profile seat, has another top cop, former DG Odisha Police and Director General CRPF, Prakash Mishra in the fray from BJP.

While Sambalpur is also poised for a tantalizing contest after former Secretary of State Works Department Nalinikanta Pradhan left his extension tenure mid-way to join BJD and become its candidate, the Jajpur Lok Sabha constituency will see Sarmistha Sethi, who recently quit Odisha Administrative Service, to fight elections from BJD. Another OAS officer Ramesh Chandra Sai has also quit service to join politics. He is a BJD aspirant from Athamallik Assembly segment, which is yet to be announced by the ruling party.

Other civil servants who have quit service in the last couple of years include Audit and Accounts Service  (IA&AS) officer Amar Patnaik, Indian Information Service (IIS) officer Giridhari Mohanty, OAS (SAG) officer Gopabandhu Dash, OAS officers Sarmistha Sethi and Ramesh Chandra Sai. Former Director of National Informatics Centre (NIC) Rabi Narayan Behera has also taken VRS.

Most of the bureaucrats seem to have gravitated to the ruling BJD with BJP coming second in preference. Amar who had served as principal accountant general of Odisha, West Bengal and Kerala and opted for voluntary retirement nine years prior to completion of his service, has been assigned to head the information technology cell of BJD. Former Director General of All India Radio and DAVP, Giridhari has been made national spokesperson of the party.

It is the lure of absolute power that is egging babus towards politics. “Yes, of course. Barring a few, bureaucrats are powerless in many ways. Not only in our State, but in other states too, as they act on orders of their political masters. They are the insiders in the power corridor and know the dynamics. While they hope to serve people more convincingly with complete power in hand, once they take the plunge most get carried away,” says eminent sociologist Prof Rita Ray.

Former Chief Secretary Sahadev Sahu echoes similar sentiment. “There is an invisible yet strong bonding between civil servants and politicians. It drives some officers to politics as they feel it will always be good to become a part of political class instead of carrying out their orders. All said and done, the politicisation of bureaucracy is not a good sign”, he says.

The bureaucrat-turned netas, however, don’t agree. Aparajita had a clear vision. After her induction into the BJP in New Delhi, she took to politics inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his strong will and determination to serve the people.“People in Odisha are still living in distress condition even after 19 years of political stability. They are deprived of their rights. The State can be one of the best in the country. I want to see it as a developed one. That is why I joined politics,” she had said.

Amar said, “Politicians have a direct connection with the people while in bureaucracy, it is a layered structure. When you are at the top of bureaucracy you seldom get chance to interact with people directly and know about their problems. If you are a part of the political system you can rectify the flaws by not only changing the rules in the bureaucracy, but also changing people’s perception.”