Dilli Ka Babu
Fighting graft
It is the complaint of many investigating agencies that delay in obtaining sanction from the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to prosecute bureaucrats involved in graft cases has led to the impression that babus can get away with impunity.
Though the UPA government had piously stated last year that corrupt babus will be prosecuted within three months of filing the chargesheet, very little has changed. According to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), at least 27 cases are still awaiting sarkari sanction.
However, sources say that in at least one such case, the CVC has finally received the go-ahead to prosecute IPS officer Rajesh Meena, police chief in Ajmer, Rajasthan, who was allegedly running an extortion racket in the district. He was arrested in January.
But this pales in significance to the number of cases the vigilance panel has processed lately — more than 3,500 complaints — and has forwarded 83 complaints to the concerned ministries for further investigation. How many of these will reach fruition, we can only guess.
Netas not amused
Netas in Maharashtra apparently believe that bureaucrats have become more powerful than the state government. So recently, chief minister Prithviraj Chauhan’s Cabinet colleagues roundly rejected a proposal from senior babus K.P. Bakshi and Sanjay Chahande for setting up a policy research institute in the state. Their argument that any such institute will only act as a centre for retired babus and won’t serve any real purpose won the day.
While the ministers have all kinds of complains about bureaucrats, sources say that what the netas find particularly galling is that the babus recently gave themselves a considerable hike in monthly allowances on the sly — without bringing the proposal to the Cabinet’s notice. Now, that really hurts!
Paying the price
Political parties, we know, are quick to take offence, especially when reminded of less salutary moments in their recent history. Dr B. Ashok, a 1988 batch Indian Administrative Services officer in Kerala, serving as the vice-chancellor of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, forgot this simple truism and has paid the price. Dr Ashok apparently wrote a newspaper article, which leaders in the Congress-led United Democratic Front government felt, criticised Congress’ PM-hopeful Rahul Gandhi while going easy on the party’s bête noire, Narendra Modi.
For this “folly”, Dr Ashok has been sacked as vice-chancellor and further action is being contemplated. But now the BJP has jumped into the fray in the babu’s defence and so the matter continues to simmer.
Post new comment