‘Problem worse at district, tehsil and thana level’: UP Leader of Opposition on MLA-officials tussle

The problem became more serious during the second term of the BJP government led by Yogi Adityanath. Power structure has become highly centralised and authoritarian, almost a one-man administration.

When we try to contact officers at the secretariat level, sometimes they pick up calls or call back after a few days. But the problem is worse at the district, tehsil, block and thana level, where officials hardly respond to the MLAs’ calls. People and public representatives first have to search for personal numbers, and even then there is no surety that their calls will be answered. The issue is not just of picking calls but the overall response of officials towards MLAs and even ministers. After all, we are all approaching them for public works.

Why is the issue being raised so aggressively now? Can you cite some specific instances of administrative non-responsiveness?

The issue becomes serious when a government becomes stable and leadership feels secure and officers are directly or indirectly conveyed that they should follow directions of only the top leadership. Over the period of time, this turns into a system where officers become accountable only upward and ignore elected representatives and the public. This is what is happening in Uttar Pradesh right now. This trend is increasing, and hurting the MLAs of both the ruling and Opposition parties alike. This is why it became necessary to raise the issue in the Assembly.

The rule of law should guide police functioning, but many times they are acting arbitrarily. People go to file complaints, but instead of registering cases, they are made to sit and wait. Even when we call officers, the phones are not answered. In Siddharthnagar, I raised the issue with the SP several times. The problem turns worse when we have to deal with officers in districts outside our constituencies. In such cases, even district magistrates do not respond in time. In one recent case, two girls from Balrampur approached me regarding encroachment in their house. I called up the collector but received a call back after two days. Even the circle officers are difficult to reach. So how are public representatives supposed to act as a link between the government and public?

At what level do MLAs mostly need to interact with officials and what kind of issues are usually raised?

Most interactions are at the district and block level regarding issues like development works, MLA fund utilisation, road construction, and local public grievances. But most of the time, calls are not answered. Senior officers at the secretariat somehow became more responsive after directions in the past, but this is not the case at the district level. Even the personal visits by MLAs are of no great help. The MLAs, and at times even ministers, are not given due respect as per the protocol during their visits.

Is this problem limited to Opposition MLAs?

MLAs from across party lines face this problem. When we raised the issue in the Assembly, members from all sides supported it. When governance becomes centralised and one-man driven, officers feel accountable only to the top leadership. Naturally, everyone will respond to the Chief Minister’s call, but others are ignored — be those from the ruling party or Opposition. Following the latest direction from the Assembly Speaker, some improvement was noticed for a day or two, but even that did not last long.

When officials don’t listen, people start depending on middlemen to get their work done. Many even hesitate to approach officials or police because their behaviour reflects colonial mindset.

How do you compare it with earlier times?

When I became an MLA for the first time in the 1980s, the state’s budget was merely Rs 30 lakh but financial approvals were processed quickly and MLAs could get their work done fast.

There were no telephones then. We would meet officers personally and they would listen respectfully. The MLAs were given proper time and public work was completed without necessarily going through ministers. Today, the budget has reached Rs 9 lakh crore but MLAs are facing greater trouble getting the work done on the ground. There were instances, when people blamed MLAs for poor construction of local roads, but the fact was they were hardly consulted before executing the projects.

Many ministers told me that the secretaries of their departments do not listen to them. The public is getting the message that “vidhayika” (legislature) has no meaning and that only “karyapalika (executive) matters. This is dangerous for a democracy.

Assembly polls are due next year. What solution do you see to this problem?

The solution is simple — strict directions have to come from the top that officers must listen to public representatives and citizens. There have been orders in the past but implementation is to be ensured on the ground. But this has now become a tradition and there is a little hope that the government will be able to change it before the elections.