P.A.

Q. The greatest menace among the All India Services is that it is highly politicized. Comment.

Ans: With the rise in the number of complex activities involving social security schemes, welfare programmes, and handling of technical tasks, the civil servants today increasingly find themselves placed in the political arena. No public bureaucracy operates in vacuum. The All India Services have to be seen in a political context and the long held politics-administration dichotomy has given way to a more effective concept of cooperation between the bureaucrats and the political class. Although policy making within a political environment is one of the core functions in the higher echelons of civil services, yet the concept of neutrality has long been held as a desirable aspect.   

Slowly but surely, the politico-administrative scenario began to change. Civil Servants increasingly became pliant tools in the hands of their political masters as they learnt quickly that they should not rock their boats too much. While R.N. Bannerjee, who was full-time Secretary to Nehru and Patel, could state that Secretaries in his time never felt that they were 'politically influenced, embarrassed or over-powered by them', there has been a steady deterioration in the 'ministerial timber' and the mounting populist pressure to deliver election promises compels the politicians to use the civil servants as sacrificial lambs. The problem is compounded by arbitrary, capricious or unfair political actions - transfers or disciplinary proceedings against a neutral officer. Many of the capable and honest officers thus give in. Ministers increasingly prefer officials who love to say "Yes Sir", thus blindly supporting their line of action without asking uncomfortable questions. This is one step away form the civil servants anticipating the views of the Minister and advising accordingly. Thus builds up a nexus or cozy relationship, where both stand to gain. The recent arrest of two IAS officers in Hyderabad by CBI officials has brought the matter to notice once again. The ARC report had also made a mention of this growing nexus. Such unhealthy practices tend to threaten the very fabric of the AIS. A further development of this unhealthy trend is the emergence of personal affiliations leading to an element of "politicisation" among civil servants. Following the rules in transfer and posting remains the only solution to end this nexus. 

 Fortunately, there have been civil servants who have had the courage of conviction to stand up and fight for the values they cherish and the principles they uphold. There was A.K. Chatterjee, an IAS officer in Patna, who in 1992 sought voluntary retirement after exposing the perverted politico-administrative system in Bihar attributed to the greedy politicians and corrupt self-seeking civil servants. Then there was P.S. Appu, who resigned from LBSNAA, Mussorie to stand by his principles. Therefore, it is not right to paint the entire All India Services with the same brush. 


B.G. Deshmukh, a former Cabinet Secretary believes that bureaucrats should not play politics but understand how politics works. They should be guided by a self-imposed code or by some broad principles enforced by a committee of peers. A belief that the service should never get politicized was religiously upheld by our the leaders of the past and it should remain true even today. Sardar Patel correctly stated, "The Services must be above party and we should ensure that political considerations either in its recruitment or in its discipline and control are reduced to the minimum, if not eliminated altogether". Hence, a civil servant cannot afford to be depoliticised, but he certainly cannot be fully politicised. Put differently, his involvement must be in policy politics and not party politics.