Even before the election process begins in Uttar Pradesh, UP chief minister Mayawati’s most favoured bureaucrats have started preparing for a deputation to the Centre, ostensibly to escape the wrath of the next government.
UP chief secretary Anoop Misra, principal home secretary Kunwar Fateh Bahadur, additional cabinet secretary Ravindra Singh, principal secretaries to the chief minister, Durga Shankar Misra and R.P. Singh, secretary to chief minister Anil Sant and some other bureaucrats, including J.N. Chamber, said to be close to the chief minister are waiting to catch the train to Delhi at the earliest.
The state government has already granted the no-objection certificate (NOC) to chief secretary Anoop Misra, principal secretary R.P. Singh and secretary Anil Sant. Three other IAS officers, R.K. Singh, Mohd Mustafa and Sushil Kumar have also obtained the NOC from the state government and are anxiously waiting for their posting at Centre.
A retired chief secretary, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told this correspondent that the rush for central deputation was a result of the intense politicisation of the bureaucracy.
“Officers who have got themselves identified with a particular political party and had worked as political agents; know that survival will be tough if there is a change of guard in the state. They are aware that they will be required to pay the price for their deeds because they have worked in a partial manner. Those officers, who have nothing to fear, are not in a tearing hurry to go on deputation,” he said and added that the trend was catching on in recent years with the bureaucracy developing political affiliations.
The fact that several opposition parties in UP have already declared that they will teach a lesson to pro-BSP officers after the polls, is adding to the panic.
A senior officer in the CM secretariat, however, confessed that on several occasions he was forced to act against the prescribed procedure by his political bosses and had no option but to toe the line.