Before elections, power corridors falling silent
It’s just a matter of days when the Election Commission of India announces dates for the Assembly elections in Rajasthan as well as four other states.
However, crowd outside ministers’ bungalows has already thinned out. Their offices also wear a deserted look. Even the corridors of state secretariat, normally abuzz with chitter- chatter, are now quiet.
The silence is often broken by the ruling party MLAs who have been doing rounds to clear pending business. One MLA from Alwar was eager to get his name removed from a criminal case before the poll dates are announced. So, he himself went from one room to the other to ensure that the file was cleared. He finally left a key aide to pursue the matter when no result came out of his visit.
He is not alone though. One can spot many MLAs running from pillar to post to get their work done before the announcement of polls.
But, the officials are not in a hurry to take decisions. They are making sweet talks without action. “The government goes into deep slumber only to wake up later as the Assembly elections are followed by Lok Sabha polls after just five months,” a BJP leader said.
Recently, bills of payment to a private firm that organised investment meet “Resurgent Rajasthan” got stuck. Two IAS officers were reportedly shunted for refusing to clear the bills.
The government finally decided to constitute a Cabinet committee of three ministers to resolve the controversial payments. That too got stuck as neither the finance department nor the Cabinet secretariat was willing to issue a notification.
“Whenever BJP or Congress came to power in last 15 years, they initiated inquiries against the decision of previous government. Nothing happened to the politicians, but bureaucrats faced harassment and some even went to jail,” a senior IAS officer said.
Former Union financial service secretary G. S. Sandhu and former deputy election commissioner Vinod Zutshi had to face trouble when the Raje government set up inquiries against them. Mr Sandhu even went to jail.
Not surprisingly, the bureaucrats who are new to the department because of recent large- scale reshuffle by chief minister Vasundhara Raje are now busy in cleaning up act.
The fear is not without basis. Opinion polls and history suggest that Congress is likely to come to power. Both former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and state Congress president Sachin Pilot have been warning officials to act cautiously because decisions of the Raje government would be probed if the Congress comes to power.
Mr Gehlot even singled out IAS officer Tanmay Kumar who is principal secretary to chief minister Vasundhara Raje, accusing him of acting as de facto CM.
“Why would an official take any risk in such circumstances?” asked a bureaucrat.