by Major General Mrinal Suman
Whenever the blame game starts for delay in OROP, bureaucrats are
painted as the incorrigible villains who doggedly impede its implementation.
The services consider bureaucrats to be their biggest adversary. Read any mail
on the social media, bureaucracy is blamed for stalling all pro-services
measures – endless litigations, rank pay, equipment deficiencies and so on. Are
we being fair to them? Are they really culpable? Can bureaucrats disobey the
political leadership and block OROP?
The answer to this convoluted mystery lies in the Indian
bureaucracy’s split-personality syndrome. It is a neurosis disorder in which
the personality becomes dissociated into two or more distinct parts; each
of which becomes dominant and controls behaviour from time to time to the
exclusion of the other parts. A modern name for this condition is dissociative
identity disorder.
Regrettably, Indian bureaucracy suffers from triple
split-personalities. Each personality manifests itself as per the target group.
A bureaucrat is an arrogant ruler while dealing with the public. In this
persona, he looks at the citizens as seekers of favours and considers himself
to be the dispenser of largesse. As a result, he behaves in a haughty,
pretentious, condescending, pompous and supercilious manner.
The second personality becomes dominant when a bureaucrat
interacts with the American and European authorities. He becomes an epitome of
humility and decorousness; and displays immaculate manners (bordering on
servility). He seeks scholarship and green card for his progeny. Further, he
craves for a lucrative appointment under UNO, World Bank and other
international organisations. They know that his candidature would need positive
support from the developed nations and hence puts up a show of ‘good behaviour’.
However, it is the third personality of a bureaucrat that concerns
us with respect to the implementation of OROP. It manifests itself when he
interacts with his political master. He becomes the most servile, timid,
gutless and spineless creature on the earth. Even the most degrading treatment
meted out to him is endured with inexplicable reticence. Some states treat
bureaucrats in an offensive manner but there is not even a whimper of
protest.
No bureaucrat ever opposes or questions his minister. During a
social gathering, a senior bureaucrat was candid enough to admit, “I stay in my
job as long as he is happy. Otherwise, I will be shunted to some innocuous job
in some NE state. Who wants to risk it? Therefore, during meetings, I keep
looking at the facial expression of my minister for clue and tailor my response
accordingly”.
It is commonly joked amongst the bureaucrats that their degree of
impotence is directly proportional to the nearness of their retirement date.
Every bureaucrat dreads retirement and consequent loss of power, recognition
and perks that he had got so used to during his long innings with the
Government. Thus senior bureaucrats become the most pliable officials. Fading
away gracefully is not a trait that most bureaucrats can be accused of
suffering from. They, by their very nature, are ‘lingerers’ and hate the sight
of an ‘exit door’. For re-employment, they need to cultivate their political
mentors and stay on their right side.
Governorship is by far the most sought after appointment. The next
option is to grab a vacancy in UPSC, CEC, CAG, CIC and such other
establishments. Many functionaries initiate proposals for the constitution of
monitoring/regulatory commissions to create suitable slots for themselves. As a
desperate resort, some bureaucrats ‘offer themselves’ for appointment on an
expert committee, howsoever obscure it may be. Committee members get office,
staff, telephone, car and other perks along with honorarium.
In view of the above, is it ever possible for any senior bureaucrat
to go against the wishes of his minister? It takes no time for a minister to
remove a recalcitrant bureaucrat. Bureaucrats are ‘survivors’ by nature and
swim with the tide. No bureaucrat stopped scams related to 2G spectrum, coal
mines and Commonwealth games.
To prove the point, let us recall Rahul Gandhi’s demand for an
increase in the number of subsidized gas cylinders from 9 to 12 per year at a
Congress rally at Delhi on 17 January 2014. The Cabinet approved it on 30
January and the new policy came into effect on 01 February 2014. Wishes of the
Congress Vice President were implemented within a period of 15 days. Although
the then Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily estimated the increase to cost the
exchequer Rs 5,000 crore annually, no bureaucrat objected to the huge fiscal
penalty to stall it. They knew what was good for them.
The contrast is obvious. In the current dispensation, one year has
passed; neither the Defence Minister nor the Prime Minister can fulfill the
solemn promises made by them on the OROP issue. Progressively, Modi is
appearing to be a weak and powerless leader, whose writ does not run at all;
making some wonder if Rahul has a bigger chest than Modi’s proverbial 56 inch
one to enforce orders.
Therefore, it is grossly unfair for us to blame the bureaucrats
for the OROP logjam. No bureaucrat can dare to stall it unless so instructed by
his ministers, whose bidding he does so very diligently. Someone in the apex
authority is sabotaging the issue by asking the bureaucrats to keep raising infructuous
and irrelevant queries. They are simply following orders.
Postscript
OROP has ceased to be a question of financial compensation. It
has become an article of faith with immense emotive connotations. It symbolizes
reluctance of a government to fulfill its solemn commitment to its soldiers and
is considered symptomatic of the moral deprivation of the worst kind of a
two-faced political party.
The Modi government could not have handled the issue in a more
senseless manner. It is surprising that Modi remains unconcerned at the
inordinate delay denting his credibility. In a short period of time he has
frittered away goodwill of 50 lakh strong military community and their family
members, whose en-block support ensured his electoral victory. Modi is certainly
going to rue it.
Sir,
ReplyDeleteVery much true. It is the ground reality. But a solider do not back off when stared at by the adversary. We will fight back till we get our OROP. A politician is powerful just as long as the general public are behind him. Without them he is just a name in the crowd. It is high time we restart our agitation for OROP in the public domain. Jai Hind.
Sir
ReplyDeleteSo we are not to blame babus. Orop implementation needs political will.
Thomas Manimala
An excellent analysis enough to bring back the politicians to their 'birthsuits'
ReplyDelete