As a result of the familiarity of the ADMK ranks with vindictive character and whimsical actions of Jayalalitha, none of the functionaries of that party are permanent. If any district or lower level functionary of that party is disliked by somebody else, the method adopted to dislodge the person from the post is very simple; what they have to do is to just get a copy of any photograph showing that person in the company of some DMK cadre in some common function like weddings and send it to Poes Garden residence of their ‘Amma’. Next day Jayalalitha’s announcement of removing the person from the post will be released.
If Jayalalitha comes to power the same fate befalls on government and police officials. Honesty, integrity, efficiency etc., have no recognition or appreciation. If some officer does not take action according to their dictates, getting some photograph published in some newspapers showing him with some minister or MP or MLA in any public function during the previous rule, the ADMK cadres cook up a story of his closeness to the DMK, send it to some ‘Investigative Journals’ that publish such concocted stories and provide ‘consideration’, it will get published in that journal. The next day that official, whatever may be the position he occupied, will be shunted out or made permanent in the ‘waiting list’.
After Jayalalitha came to power this time, so far over 200 IAS officers from the Home Secretary, Secretaries of departments, district collectors and to other higher officials, over 200 IPS officers from the DGP to Superintendents of Police, other government and police officials in other positions numbering over 600 had been shunted around.
The sorrowful story of a secretary of department who became a victim of such vindictiveness, was published in ‘Deccan Chronicle’ daily on 13.08.2011. The report under the headline, ‘Sudden transfer of Swain raises eyebrows’ is as under:
“The sudden transfer of cooperation and food department secretary Jatindranath Swain, within a short span, to an insignificant assignment has disappointed many in the department and surprised his colleagues. Sources attributed the shift of the low-profile, but efficient bureaucrat, to his stubborn refusal to transfer some of the corrupt and incompetent officials as regional joint registrars in districts as advised by his political masters.
Swain, a no-nonsense officer, was credited with the turnaround in the cooperative department during his long tenure as registrar of cooperative societies. In his over four years of experience, he knew the abilities of every officer. “He tried to protect some genuine and honest officials, but paid the price for it,” remarked an officer from the south. Officials from the cooperative department, handling the sensitive PDS and agriculture societies, complained of political interference.
Sources said the regime reverted to selling lakhs of gunny bags without open tender, which would help ruling party members. It also wants to do away with GPS on PDS lorries. “I don't know the logic behind the transfer of Swain and Sheela Rani Chunkath. The posting of tough and efficient officials in key and primary sectors is a pre-requisite to deliver good governance,“ remarked a senior bureaucrat.”
If this is the situation in administration, the present condition of the disciplined force, once comparable to the Scotland Yard, the Police department is still obnoxious. The same daily ‘Deccan Chronicle’ on 12.08.2011 has published another report under the headline ‘Police Officers vie in tarnishing image’, on rampant incidences of higher police officers indulging in the ADMK culture of vindictively tarnishing the image of their fellow-officers through clandestine operations. The report is as follows:
“Infighting, groupism and factionalism has touched a new low in the police with every senior official eyeing a good posting by tarnishing the others’ image. In their effort to stay ahead of the others, officials are going as far as writing bomb threat letters and putting up posters on the city walls about their rivals besides submitting a rogue directory of nearly 50 senior IPS officials to the ADMK high command.
While those who were in favour during the DMK regime were shunted out by the new government with insignificant assignments, others are trying hard to get into the good books of the new chief minister by accusing their peers.
The so-called ‘Al Qaeda’ letter sent to Guruvayoor in Kerala, which had warned about terror attacks at the local Sri Krishna temple and the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple, Thiruvanathapuram, besides issuing death threats to the Tamil Nadu and Gujarat chief ministers apparently originated from the house of a state police officer of the rank of additional director general of police. “What is there to probe? It was clear that somebody who is not enjoying a good relation with that officer had sent the letter to embarrass the particular officer,” a police officer noted.
Last week the city saw posters wishing happy birthday to a senior police officer who was described as “dalapthiyin dalapathi”. “It was also the handiwork of his rival to show that the particular officer had links with the DMK,” another officer pointed out. About the rogue directory, in the form of a 30-paged letter, which gives a lot of “insight” on the image and reputation of many senior officials in the department, a senior police officer had accused his subordinate a few weeks ago at the state police head quarters: “A son of a b&*@# has sent this anonymous letter to the government. Everybody thinks you are that son of the b&*@#. So don’t attend the review meeting”.
If this English daily, which had so far been generally publishing favourable reports on Jayalalitha and the ADMK regime, itself has started publishing such reports, unable to countenance the deterioration of the state machinery under this regime, the seriousness of the situation is obvious. Political parties, Chief Ministers and ministers come and go, but the state machinery, consisting of the bureaucracy, administration and police force, is permanent. In Jayalalitha’s dispensation, whither State machinery?
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