Orphaned in December

FORMER chief minister of Chhattisgarh Ajit Jogi often said that there were only three offices of absolute power in India 8212; those of DM,...

FORMER chief minister of Chhattisgarh Ajit Jogi often said that there were only three offices of absolute power in India 8212; those of DM, CM and PM, district magistrate, chief minister and prime minister. Jogi started in one of these offices 8212; he was DM in four districts between 1973 to 1986 before he began his political career. And in the three years of his controversial tenure as chief minister he made optimum use of this absolute power. His control over the state bureaucracy was its best example. But his ignominious exit, in the December election, has left a fawning bureaucracy floundering.

Now that Jogi the 8216;super-collector8217; is out, state bureaucrats are outdoing each other in their attempts to distance themselves from Jogi and to woo the new BJP regime. Says a senior cabinet minister, 8216;8216;Dozens of known Jogi officers have turned to me telling me stories of old family ties with the Sangh parivar.8217;8217;

With chief minister Raman Singh starting to target officers friendly with Jogi, the panic is spreading fast. Nine district collectors, eight SPs, three IGPs have already been transferred and chairman of the Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board B.S. Banafar has been removed.

And more heads could roll. Two district collectors L.N. Suryavanshi Bastar and B.S. Anant Jaspur defied Election Commission orders and filed cases in the Central Administrative Tribunal CAT against their removal. An SP removed from a district following complaints, continued making telephone calls in the former chief minister8217;s constituency to influence voters.

Not content merely with reporting to Jogi, some officers stretched their loyalty to his son Amit who often passed orders to the collectors and SPs. In his hurry to enter the family fold, a young collector called Ajit Jogi and his doctor wife Renu 8216;8216;Daddy and Mummy8217;8217;.

And in a touching display of devotion, a young SP who got leave sanctioned to go home, chose to accompany Jogi on a week-long padyatra instead. Another bureaucrat who thought the best way to Jogi8217;s heart was through his stomach, would personally deliver prawns to his house.

8220;Jogi gave plum postings to inexperienced officers, both in
the districts and secretariat. Beholden to him, they were happy
to do his bidding. Now it8217;s a new era with a new dispensation8221;

Senior officers were equally anxious to please the father-son duo. A DGP-rank officer was often seen with Amit Jogi discussing politics during duty hours. And an IAS officer much senior than Jogi Jr respectfully addressed him as bhaiyya big brother. Then there was retired DGP R.L.S. Yadav who through a network of SPs got pre-poll surveys conducted to project a 60 to 70 seats victory for Jogi.

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They are now all living in fear. But chief minister Raman insists he8217;ll be all magnanimity. 8216;8216;I will give these bureaucrats and police officers enough time to change and deliver.8217;8217; he says.

Running the administration with thoroughly politicised babus is not an easy task, especially when the state is short on officers. When the state was carved from Madhya Pradesh, it was allotted 103 IAS officers from a total cadre strength of 408. But the number that came to Raipur was only about 70.

But that suited Jogi who gave plum postings to inexperienced officers, both in the districts and secretariat. Beholden to him, they were happy to do his bidding. In over a dozen cases, young officers were made collectors even before they had completed their tenures in the sub-divisions.

Now it8217;s a new era with a new dispensation 8212; and new political master for Chhattisgarh8217;s bureaucrats to curry favour with.