Don’t be yes men, Rajnath tells babus

Pulls them up for being late

Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday asked bureaucrats to stand up to the political class if “wrong orders” are given, telling them not to become “yes men.”

“If a political executive gives wrong orders, do not be scared to show them the rules. Tell the political executive that you are legally wrong. Do not sign the file. Haan mein haan naa milaiye (Do not become a yes man). Do not betray your conscience,” he said,

While asking them to focus on people’s welfare, while keeping the country’s larger interest in mind, Mr Singh also said that civil servants should be impartial and show “no hesitation” in taking decisions.

Mr Singh was speaking at the inaugural session of Civil Services Day here. The function was attended by officers belonging to the IAS and other all India services.

Appreciating the role of the bureaucracy, the home minister urged them to be responsible, accountable and impartial as the job of a civil servant bestows power on them.

Lack of impartiality and accountability, he said, can hamper decision making capabilities. So, he said, if need be, discuss the issues in detail with seniors, but there should be no hesitation in taking decision as that can harm

If a political executive gives wrong orders, do not be scared to show them the rules... Do not sign the file. Haan mein haan naa milaiye... — Rajnath Singh

the country’s interest.

Emphasising the importance of people oriented schemes of the Modi government — like Jan Dhan, Aadhar and mobile connectivity as well as Antyodaya, which provides subsidised food to poor families — the home minister said officials must ensure their effective implementation.

Earlier, Mr Singh pulled up senior officials for being late for the event, which got delayed by a few minutes, saying they must be punctual. In fact, the officials were seen entering the venue much after the event had started.

The minister said though there may be some valid reason for the delayed start, introspection was required as to why it happened.

“I reached the venue five minutes before the scheduled time of 9.45 am, but the events started only at 9.57 am. It would have been better had we not deviated from the original schedule,” the minister remarked.