Babus joining political parties is par for the course, but babus entering the hurly-burly of netagiri by forming their own political outfit are rare. The most recent success story, of course, is that of Arvind Kejriwal who formed the Aam Aadmi Party and is now chief minister of Dilli. Lok Satta Party founder Jaya Prakash Narayana is another example. Now set to launch his own political party is 1982-batch Indian Administrative Service officer Surya Pratap Singh of Uttar Pradesh.
If Mr Singh does take the plunge, the timing couldn’t be more perfect. He is to retire from the civil service in two months. It is also known that he does not have a good equation with the ruling Samajwadi Party, with whom he’s had quite a few run-ins recently. He did not endear himself to his political masters when he openly supported Indian Police Service officer Amitabh Thakur, who alleged he was threatened by SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and is currently under suspension. Mr Singh is reportedly already testing the waters by touring the state and addressing people on corruption and other issues. Watch this space for updates.
welcome thaw Is there a thaw in the frosty ties between Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and the state’s lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung Mr Jung has often been accused of acting on the Centre’s behalf in the matter of appointment and transfer of officials. The L-G, however, surprised many when he endorsed Mr Kejriwal’s choice of appointing Sajjan Yadav as the new VAT commissioner of Delhi.Mr Yadav is a 1995-batch Indian Administrative Service officer and was previously CEO of the Delhi Jal Board. He was also secretary to Mr Kejriwal and secretary of the directorate of information and publicity. Although the state government’s civil service board had recommended Mr Yadav for appointment as VAT commissioner earlier too, at the time Mr Kejriwal had instead recommended Ankur Garg for the position. This recommendation was shot down by Mr Jung twice. The VAT commissioner is a newly-created post and the AAP government has had some difficulty in finding a babu willing to take it up. Finally, Mr Kejriwal appointed senior babu Vijay Kumar, but he was transferred by the Centre against Mr Kejriwal’s wishes. Now, after Mr Yadav’s appointment, it appears that the Delhi chief minister and L-G have finally someone they both agree on. That’s a welcome sign. Improved policing Former Uttar Pradesh director-general of police Prakash Singh has been leading an effort to implement police reforms in the country. After resigning from service in 1996, he has doggedly pursued this agenda through courts and his writings in the media. But reforms remain a distant dream despite the Supreme Court ruling on his petition and urging the government to overhaul the policing system.
But Mr Singh has not given up. He has now formed a think tank — the Police Foundation and Institute — to bring together cops, bureaucrats, academicians, lawyers and citizens together to seek change. He has reportedly roped in former home secretary G.K. Pillai, two former Intelligence Bureau directors, P.C. Haldar and Shyamal Datta, and former Central Bureau of Investigation director R.K. Raghavan in this task. Together they hope to work towards improving policing in India as well as develop knowledge through public advocacy. While the think tank is certainly filled with babudom’s best, it remains to be seen how much influence they are able to wield from outside the system.
