Politics in India comes with its own unwritten terms and conditions. Having watched this space for several decades, I have been concerned how bureaucrats and government officials are changed as soon as the ruling party changes.
On many occasions, these changes happen when the minister changes (PM, CM, Cabinet Ministers and Ministers of State included), even though the same party continues to rule.
Not just politics and government, this practice is also seen in other fields, including the private sector. However, it is not as widely prevalent, as in the former.
Why does this happen? It starts with a lack of trust. The bureaucrat or the incumbent position holder is seen as the former neta’s man or woman. It is felt she or he must be replaced by the new minister’s trusted one. Sometimes, new leaders prefer to work with those who have already partnered them. These officials enjoy their trust and are familiar with their style of working.
This has been perpetuated for years. Almost every political party has fallen prey to this practice. Among the first administrative decisions taken by any new government is a change in guard at the senior-most levels of bureaucracy and governance.
Why do I say ‘almost’? There has been at least one instance, to the best of my knowledge, where Odisha’s topmost bureaucrat continued to serve even after the then Congress government was voted out of power after a decade, when Biju Patnaik helmed the government for the next five years.
The state of Odisha was led by Janaki Ballabh Patnaik who was chief minister from June 1980 to December 1989. For a brief three months, he was replaced by Hemananda Biswal, also from the same party, before Janata Dal was voted into power.
Something extraordinary happened here. The incumbent Chief Secretary Rabi Narayan Das, who had also held key positions of Home, Finance and Industry during the preceding Congress government, remained unchanged. This was unheard of, in contemporary administrative history. Not only did Biju Patnaik allow Das to continue, he went on to serve his full term as the top bureaucrat of the state.
I remember being perplexed then, till my father, the Late Padma Lochan Garabadu, quelled my doubt. His answer was brief and simplistic. He referred to it as ABCDE – Acumen. Brilliance. Competence. Dynamism. Experience. All these resided in one person and it showed. The credit must go to the late Biju Patnaik who was able to sense these qualities in Das and chose to pursue with his expertise and experience.
I knew him personally. As Rabi Uncle. He was my father’s childhood friend. My father sought his counsel for all major decisions. His wisdom spanned over any and every subject one could think of. As a young lad, I always felt unprepared when I spoke to him. He knew so much and I, so little. It was fascinating to hear him speak. His clarity of thought and his ability to grasp any subject in a short time, made him stand apart from his peers. I was always in awe of his intellect and wisdom.
Rabi Uncle left for the other world yesterday. A world where my father would be waiting for him with open arms. A news report mentioned that he was the only Chief Secretary in post-independent India to be awarded three post-retirement extensions under two separate governments. Such was his acumen and brilliance.
RIP Rabi Uncle
Post-script: In 2015, I met Sunit Tandon, who was then Director General of Indian Institute of Mass Communication. I had gone to the IIMC campus 20 years after graduating and paid a courtesy call to the DG. He did not know me and agreed to meet me as an alumnus. He told me something which has stayed with me ever since. He said one of the yardsticks to measure competence of any professional is the ability to thrive and grow under different governments, managements or dispensations.
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