Lucknow, January 01: “What are you saying dear, it is all ‘dirty politics’. These politicians are rough and uneducated.” This is a routine conversation between IAS officials in UP during their service. However, things change once they retire. Either they start looking for safe options as chairman and other posts, which can give them vehicle and beacon, or jump in political area.
The same dirty politics becomes clean for them when they are themselves contesting the elections. In UP the same thing is happening, with several retired bureaucrats jumping in the political fray.
Retired IAS official PL Punia won Lok Sabha elections on Congress ticket. He is now Chairman of National Commission of SC/ST.
This assembly election is also witnessing several babus either contesting directly or fielding their kins.
In Lucknow, two candidates of Samajwadi Party (SP) have one thing in common. Father of both of them were IAS. One is Juhi Singh, who is contesting from Lucknow (East). She is the daughter for former chief secretary, Akhand Pratap Singh (now retired). Another is Abhishek Mishra who is contesting from Lucknow (North). His father JS Mishra is still serving as CEO, Khadi and Village Industries Corporation (KVIC) in New Delhi. It is another matter that Abhishek is also qualified and has resigned from his professorship in IIM-Ahmedabad to contest the election. Armed with Ph.D. from MIT and educated at Cambridge he is now treading the labyrinth lanes of old city in Lucknow. Another former IAS Sheetala Shanker also joined SP recently.
Peace Party appears to be the best option for former officers. It already has included former IAS Ramashanker Singh, former DGP Yashpal Singh, former IPA Brijendra Singh, former IPS IP Singh in its fold.
Who will contest the election, it is yet to be seen.
Another smaller outfit Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) headed by Ajit Singh is now run by retired officer. Its state president is Baba Hardev Singh who is a retired PCS officer and was also President of UP PCS officers Association. Baba is also contesting from a seat in Etmadpur in Agra.
Baba has included many retired officers in RLD. Former IAS RP Shukla, former IPS Mahendra Yadav, Homeopathic Director BN Singh are also in RLD and are actively participating in politics.
Another former IAS Harish Chandra has even launched his won party and is actively considering to contest elections.
In all, the wishes and aspirations of these officers are flying high these days with everyone desiring to be part of Indian democratic elections.
——Agencies