Monday, September 14, 2009

Snippets/ Mail Today, September 14, 2009

Post- retirement blues of the babus
THE balance of post- retirement power is gradually shifting and superannuated bureaucrats are beginning to feel a sudden sense of loss. All along, most IAS and IFS officers approached retirement knowing that there was a new life waiting for them. Many of them managed to get themselves plum post- retirement jobs which, at home or abroad, entitled them to continue to enjoy all the perks they were used to. But Manmohan Singh’s preference for technocrats is increasingly seeing many a glamorous job slipping out of their hands.

The appointment of Dr Arvind Virmani, Chief Economc Advisor to the Finance Ministry, as India’s Executive Director to the International Monetary Fund, to replace Adarsh Kishore, an IAS officer, signals the PM’s determination to put technocrats in key slots in the future. The government had earlier made similar changes in the Asian Development Bank where an IAS officer was replaced by a technocrat.

With rumours swirling that Pulok Chatterjee, a 10 Janpath loyalist, is being brought back from his World Bank job in Washington for apprenticeship before taking over as Cabinet Secretary when incumbent KM Chandrashekhar retires next year, all eyes are on the selection of Chatterjee’s successor and the odds are on another technocrat being sent. The prime minister’s preference for professionals is nothing new. When he first took office more than five years ago, friendly TV channels had reported his preference for Montek Singh Ahluwalia in the Finance Ministry, but stiff opposition from the political class scuttled the move and Montek never got to occupy the office, instead settling for Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, a post he holds to this day.

I know it for a fact that he was never quite comfortable in the initial days, dealing as he was, with chief ministers and such like who never spoke the language ( I don’t mean literally) that he did. Montek has come a long way since then, as will the many technocrats who are edging aside bureaucrats to take up the many attractive jobs on offer.

Some are even willing to forego fancy cars for the humble Tata Indigo, as some technocrats who recently joined showed. If you are close to South Block, power is seldom measured in terms of BHP.

Police chiefs’ annual ritual begins today
FOR three days, starting today, DGPs and IGPs from all states will meet in Delhi. As usual, when they return after their deliberations, no one will be the wiser. And nothing will ever change.

I say this because it is a farce that has gone on for nearly 90 years now. The first ever conference of IGPs was organised by the IB back in 1920. Since 1973, it has become an annual affair attended by heads of police from states and union territories and the chiefs of about a dozen central police and paramilitary organisations. As with similar meets, this will be at best another exercise in tokenism where no major policy is initiated.

There will be platitudes from the PM and the Home Minister about fighting terror and naxalism, etc. Our structure is federal and all state police forces report to their respective state government. The aim of the conference “ is to provide an interactive platform for senior police professionals to freely discuss and debate diverse national security related” issues.

I am sure such lofty ideals have been spelt out in each of the 43 conferences held since independence but the country is still waiting to see these move beyond mere words. There are as yet no visible efforts to develop a platform for effective police coordination among the states which will guarantee minimum acceptable national standards in policing.

The meeting comes barely three weeks after the prime minister convened a meeting of chief ministers where policing and internal security figured high on the agenda. The meeting witnessed sharp differences between UPA and non- UPA chief ministers.

That’s why I forsee a lot of cross talk during the three day meet. Officers from the states will be ready with briefs from their state governments. Will the DGP of Uttar Pradesh be ready to bury those and take orders from the people at the Centre or will he go by Mayawati’s brief? Ditto for those from Gujarat.


THE last time a revolt happened in the Congress, it was exactly a decade ago when Sharad Pawar, Praful Patel et al walked out to protest “ foreign leadership” and formed the NCP. They have since teamed up with Sonia once again but that’s another story. The party has seen dissent since then, but this been in the form of gentle murmur. For the first time now, the Congress is faced with the real prospect of a revolt in one of its strongest units — Andhra Pradesh.

Last week I had written about Jaganmohan being a man in a hurry. It is now clear the man is nothing less than impatient. The party old guard’s capitulation to one of its youngest members may have more to do with safeguarding their political and financial interests than total faith in his political instincts. The happenings have sickened the toughest of stomachs. The battle has reached the worldwide web. More than a handful of sites, appropriately named “ SaveAndhra. com” or saveap, have sprung up in recent days and Reddys, Khammas and Kapus, wherever are taking frequent breaks from duty and business to flood the net with the pros and cons about Jagan and Rosaiah.

One mail I got from a Telugu in Chicago was detailed about YSR’s contribution to the rebuilding of Congress in Andhra. YSR’s contribution cannot be belittled and in death he has become even bigger. But the manner in which these are being flaunted makes me wonder whether Jagan himself is behind this frenzy. If so, he better watch out. Sonia hasn’t lost an intra party war in a decade. She is not about to start by losing to a greenhorn.THE last time a revolt happened in the Congress, it was exactly a decade ago when Sharad Pawar, Praful Patel et al walked out to protest “ foreign leadership” and formed the NCP. They have since teamed up with Sonia once again but that’s another story. The party has seen dissent since then, but this been in the form of gentle murmur. For the first time now, the Congress is faced with the real prospect of a revolt in one of its strongest units — Andhra Pradesh. Last week I had written about Jaganmohan being a man in a hurry. It is now clear the man is nothing less than impatient. The party old guard’s capitulation to one of its youngest members may have more to do with safeguarding their political and financial interests than total faith in his political instincts. The happenings have sickened the toughest of stomachs. The battle has reached the worldwide web. More than a handful of sites, appropriately named “ SaveAndhra. com” or saveap, have sprung up in recent days and Reddys, Khammas and Kapus, wherever are taking frequent breaks from duty and business to flood the net with the pros and cons about Jagan and Rosaiah. One mail I got from a Telugu in Chicago was detailed about YSR’s contribution to the rebuilding of Congress in Andhra. YSR’s contribution cannot be belittled and in death he has become even bigger. But the manner in which these are being flaunted makes me wonder whether Jagan himself is behind this frenzy. If so, he better watch out. Sonia hasn’t lost an intra party war in a decade. She is not about to start by losing to a greenhorn.

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