Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh):
Lobbying for top job
A senior bureaucrat is making all efforts to become the head of the state administration. Should the about-to-retire Chief Secretary (CS) not get an extension of services, the chances of this bureaucrat heading the state administration are bright. This is the reason why he has begun to take a crack at hitting the bull’s-eye. There are reports that the officer has begun to use his clout in Bhopal as well as in Delhi. He has also sought the help of RSS functionaries to hit the jackpot.
Saheb has recently met a top-rank functionary of the Sangh. Not much time is left for Sahib’s retirement. Ergo he wants to head the state bureaucracy – even if it may be for some time. He is in contact with all those who can help him get the coveted post. The officer’s only effort is to see that CS retires on time. Sahib has already met an influential person, so that he may get a signal from the higher-ups to lay his hands on the most important job in the state administration, which all IAS officers long for.
Utter humiliation
A top-rank police officer has been humiliated just before the Lok Sabha election the way it was done to him before the assembly polls. This police officer began to circulate that the BJP would give him a ticket for the Lok Sabha election. The officer also told his relatives and close aides that the government would accept his resignation, and he would throw his hat in the ring.
The ruling party has already given tickets to its candidates for the parliamentary election, but not to this officer. Nor has the government accepted his resignation. In fact, after visiting the residence of a Union Minister, he was confident of getting a ticket. He wanted to woo the leaders of the BJP as well as of the Congress. Before the assembly election, he received a jolt from the Congress that did not give him a ticket. Likewise, the ruling party gave him a shock before the Lok Sabha polls. Now, the officer is cursing both political parties.
Lust for power
A principal secretary (PS)-rank IAS officer has spared no effort for his transfer. There are reports that he has clout in the BJP, so he believed that he would get a plum posting. But after the change of head of the state, he was transferred. After pulling out all the stops, although has got a posting, the position he has been given is so insignificant that he is not enjoying it. Sahib craves for a plum posting. The officer is having a crack at achieving his target through an influential person who assured the PS of sending him to an important department soon. The officer is keen on joining a particular department for which he has been making efforts. The Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha election may be enforced anytime soon. As the time for his transfer to an important position is running out of his hands, the PS is getting worried.
Lure of lucre
There are discussions in the corridors of power about the transfer of a secretary-rank officer about whom it is said that he has been posted to an important department because of the recommendations of a Union Minister. A few powerful people related to the officer’s in-laws are said to have played an important role in his posting. The Union Minister is considered very powerful in MP. So, after using his clout in the state, the officer knocked at the door of the Union Minister who, too, used his influence to give the officer the important assignment. Because of the officer’s family members’ role in his posting, Sahib wants to make as much sweetener as possible. Immediately after his posting, Saheb started taking feedback from the officials of the department about how to get brass through offstage deals. His agenda is clear – give and take. But there are doubts about whether he will remain in the department for a long time.
Out of frying pan into fire
A powerful politician in the state cabinet is unhappy discovering that he is out of the frying pan and into the fire. In the previous government, the Principal Secretary (PS) did not give him enough importance – though he had two crucial departments. Despite being a minister, he had to face a lot of difficulties to get anyone transferred. After the new government took over, and he was promoted, the minister thought his importance would increase. Similarly, when the PS was transferred, the minister was in high spirits. But now, the situation he is in has turned out to be more difficult than it was. In the previous regime, he did not get any weightage only in one department, but now, he has barely any influence in both. The Principal Secretaries of both the departments do not take the minister seriously. One of them recently refused to do a piece of work recommended by the minister. Even the head of the department does not give him any importance. The minister complained to the Chief Minister about it, but it came to naught.
Happy guy
It is generally believed that when a man goes to a faraway place leaving his family, he feels sad, but this social norm does not apply to a Principal Secretary (PS). He is happy to leave the family, for he spends time at some other place. When he was with the family, he did not have this freedom. Because of his habits, the PS had disputes with his family, and his friends often stewed him for it. Now that there is nobody to prevent him from doing what he wants to, he is happy. There are chinwags about his life in the corridors of power. Although the murmurs about his personal life have always been there, the officer is very honest. Yet he courts controversies because of his other activities.
