Pranam STUPIDITY THY NAME IS INDIA KERALA TAMILNADU FILL UP THE BLANK KR IRS 5521
On Tue, 4 May 2021 at 21:08, 'venkat giri' via iyer123 < [email protected]> wrote: > *படித்ததில் பிடிச்சது * > > *Respected Sir/s,* > > *Bureaucrats with a political vision* > > * In this election of TAMILNADU, two former bureaucrats, known for > their integrity, entered the political fray with the hope of bringing about > the changes in governance they have always wanted to see. But the ones who > contested and the ones they backed all fared poorly.* > * Santhosh Babu, > who contested as MNM’s candidate from Velachery, was defeated. Former IAS > officer * > *U. Sagayam had backed 17 young candidates who felt would serve as role > models and work for the betterment of society. But they lost. Former IPS > officer and AIADMK candidate R Nataraj lost too.* > *Prepared for the long haul, the results are no deterrent for them who do > not believe in cosmetic change. A political plunge is the first step > towards an attempt to cleanse a system that often left them with their > hands tied. But it may take years to see the change, what inspired them to > join politics and now that they have lost, will it keep other officers away > from following in their footsteps?* > *"There is no difference between politics and governance. Politics is a > social contract between 1.3 billion people and 8,000 bureaucrats and > politicians. Bureaucrats are best placed to govern even as politicians," > says Babu, who resigned from the IAS last year following differences with > the Tamil Nadu government on the `2,000 crore Bharat Net project. "I have > been wanting to join politics since 2012. I was disgusted with the > political system — how it could be and how it actually is. I felt TN has > huge potential but has poor governance. * > > *"If everyone was honest, then TN could be like Singapore."* > * As a bureaucrat, there are constraints and > one can only function within a certain ambit, says Babu, adding that he > wanted to float a 'National Good Governance Party' (NGGP) in 2026. "I was > writing a manifesto for NGGP; how each sector is and how it can be. But > then the Bharat Net issue happened and I joined MNM," says Babu, who was > involved in drafting MNM’s manifesto.* > * Sagayam, who had a bureaucratic > career spanning 29 years, says he did face many problems during his > service. When I was the collector of Namakkal in 2010, I realised that the > village administrative officers (VAO) would stay in towns far away from the > villages they were in charge of. The villagers who needed things sanctioned > by them were inconvenienced," says Sagayam. "I felt it was my duty to > ensure that VAOs stay in their respective charge villages. This led to > agitations against me. And in the end I was transferred and not given any > assignment for a while."* > * In another instance, when he > began looking into the irregularities in granite mining in Madurai, within > three days he was shifted to Co-optex.* > * That’s why, though he doesn’t > intend to contest the elections as a candidate, he chose to back candidates > who have integrity and would work for society. "We got a large number of > applicants, but we selected only 17 who are already doing social service, > after checking their individual track record," says Sagayam. "We feel they > will be role models for others."* > * Though none of them were > successful this time, will their examples inspire more upright bureaucrats > who want to bring about a change in the system, to take to politics? "It > depends on each individual and their circumstances whether they want to > join politics. Bureaucrats are supposed to be upright and take a firm stand > against corruption. And without their support, corrupt politicians cannot > thrive, so it’s not essential that they join politics," says Sagayam, who > wants to continue to create awareness among people about issues that > matter, such as farmers’ right and women’s rights.* > * Babu feels that not every bureaucrat is a > transformational leader. "There are two types of leaders – incremental > leaders and transformational leaders, who need to have integrity, > innovation and technology," he says, adding that bureaucracy also makes you > comfortable. "How many people are willing to come forward to join politics > and serve society? There are some who have the potential to be leaders but > don’t want to come out of their comfort zone."* > *Former IPS officer, R Nataraj, who joined the AIADMK in 2014 and was won > from Mylapore constituency in 2016, also says that bureaucrats normally, > after spending time in service, look forward to retirement. "Usually, they > like to take a break, and not, as MLA again deal with the same issues," > says Nataraj, adding that he joined politics not because he wasn’t happy > with the way the bureaucratic system operated but because he saw that > politicians have tremendous scope to serve society.* > * Bureaucracy also needs upright officers with > integrity, he says. "I wouldn’t advocate young bureaucrats to leave the > service at an early stage of their career. We need young people in service > who can bring a breath of fresh air and novel approach to the > implementation of policies," says Nataraj. "But you have the option to take > voluntary retirement after 20 years, and can look for a space in political > life."* > * Making a transition from films to politics is often > discussed a lot in South India. However, the transition of a person from a > bureaucrat to a politician, though not discussed much, has deeper roots in > the country.* > * The precedent for former IPS officer K Annamalai > or former IAS officer Sashikanth Senthil joining political parties was > arguably set by Subhash Chandra Bose, who tossed aside a career in civil > services to join the Indian National Congress and the freedom struggle.* > * Annamalai, who was named the State vice-president of > the BJP, and Senthil who joined the Congress, are only the latest > high-profile figures to make the transition, sparking a question among > cadres of both parties: how do they help the political party, or how do > they increase its vote share? * > * Observers say the > parties gain from the administrative experience of the former civil > servants, especially in framing policy and adding credibility. However, for > bureaucrats, especially those making the transition after retirement, a > political career could be another way to retain their grip on power. * > * Those who have made the transition from one branch of the > government, in Tamil Nadu, include K Narayanasamy Mudaliyar, who joined the > AIADMK and served as law minister after his term as judge of the Madras > High Court from 1974 to 77. Similarly, Mani Shankar Aiyar, part of the > Indian Foreign Service from 1963 to 1989, later resigned and joined the > Congress, serving as a three-time Lok Sabha MP and Union Minister. * > * VS Chandralekha, an IAS officer > who served in Tamil Nadu in various positions, resigned following a dispute > with the then regime and joined the Subramanian Swamy-led Janata party. > P Sivagami, a former additional chief > secretary, took voluntary retirement and joined the BSP before floating a > political outfit called Samooga Samathuva Padai. She contested in the > Perambalur Assembly constituency as part of the DMK-led alliance and lost. * > > * Former IPS officer R Natraj joined the AIADMK after > retirement and is the current Mylapore MLA.* > * In political analyst Tharasu Shyam’s view, there is little > benefit to political parties when civil servants join them. “Mostly it is > of no use in drawing votes. They will enjoy power after leaving service,” > he said.* > *But veteran journalist T Koodalarasan has different opinion. “They might > not help in increasing the party’s vote share, but might help leaders in > creating and implementing schemes. They can also be of help in > administration. Political parties recognise this and encourage them,” he > said. * > * > Koodalarasan recalled how Narayanaswamy Mudaliar’s induction into MGR’s > Cabinet as law minister helped burnish the AIADMK founder’s image among the > educated section. “Without them offering any benefit, the leaders wouldn’t > encourage them,” he pointed out. * > * PMK’s R Velu, a (conferred) IAS, said his experience in bureaucracy > helped him perform his duties when he was Union Minister in 2004. “We > improved productivity of the Railways... and my 39 years of experience in > civil services helped me immensely in prioritising and making decisions,” > said Velu, who is part of the party’s political advisory committee. * > * However, Ashokan, headquarters secretary of the > TMC, was dismissive of the jump from civil services to politics made by > those who had years left to serve. “We can accept people who enter politics > after retirement. But, people who have years of service quitting to join > politics and saying it’s for public service doesn’t make sense,” he > opined. * > * “They can do a lot of things in service since ultimately officers are > those who execute the government schemes and policies. If they were not > able to serve the people in that role, how can they serve them from > political parties,” he asked, terming their transition as a pursuit of > power and nothing else. * > ....... > *COURETESY:INDIAN EXPRESS* > *Regards* > *V.sridharan* > *Trichy* > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "iyer123" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/iyer123/1030229380.304460.1620142731029%40mail.yahoo.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/iyer123/1030229380.304460.1620142731029%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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