Last week, a minister in the Yogi cabinet was seen touching the feet of a divisional commissioner at a public function. In Bihar, a BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister has always addressed the department’s Principal Secretary as “Bhaiya” or “Sir”.

In Chhattisgarh,chief minister,Ajit Jogi had his chief secretary who was two years senior in the IAS.Once his district magistrate at Sarguja misled him about deaths due to Malaria in Wadarf Nagar,40 kms from the district headquarters.After getting a report from a reporter in an English daily,he transferred DM the same evening.

Once he had gone to Bilaspur,CM asked DM" have you visited any village".After getting a negative report,CM told him" you are posted here not to be in the AC room only".DM got his marching orders to state Secretariat।

In Kashmir, chief minister, Farooq Abdullah was friendly with his chief secretary,Ashok Jaitley and did not hesitate in sharing non _ veg stories.

In Jharkhand, deputy commissioner of Bokaro,a direct RR touched his fee in public.When it was described as out of protocol,DC replied" CM is like my father".

Biju Patnaik, as Chief Minister of then Orissa, had suspended the then Excise Commissioner in 1991. The IAS Association of the state held an emergency meeting at the Capital Club and passed a resolution demanding withdrawal of the suspension. They also threatened to go on strike. Biju Patnaik took the threat seriously and, at an emergency press conference, announced he was going to appoint OAS officers as Collectors and Secretaries in the state secretariat. “There is nothing in the Constitution to suggest only IAS officers will be Collectors and Secretaries,” he said.

Biju Babu could not be taken for a ride by the elite civil servants. He was releasing the industrial policy at a press conference and praising the efforts of his Industries Secretary (a woman IAS officer) in preparing the “revolutionary” industrial policy. A reporter of a Hindi daily pulled out a copy of the old industrial policy issued when J. B. Patnaik was Chief Minister and the same officer was Director of Industries. The young reporter told the CM: “The lady officer sitting next to you has misled you. She has copied the old policy literally, with the exception of the photographs of the old and new Chief Ministers.”

Biju Babu called for the copy and, after going through the old policy, realised that word by word, the new document was a photocopy of the earlier one. The officer tried to explain and questioned the motives of the young reporter. Biju Babu abandoned the press conference and left in a huff. The officer was seen standing speechless and was shifted to an insignificant assignment the same day.

In Jammu and Kashmir, under the OPG (Own Pay and Grade) scheme, state services officers are made DCs. A senior IAS officer in J&K had once told the then Chief Minister, “I am honest. My integrity is beyond doubt.” The CM replied, “So far, I did not doubt your honesty. But since you are claiming it, I shall conduct a probe into your integrity too.” The officer relented.

Officers often succumb to undue political pressure in the lust for lucrative postings and out of fear of transfers. Amarsinh Chaudhary, as Chief Minister of Gujarat, asked the then Municipal Commissioner of Rajkot, S. Jagdeesan, not to remove encroachments by workers of his party as municipal elections were approaching. Jagdeesan replied politely, “I do not make a distinction between the Congress or the BJP.”

The Chief Minister still asked him not to disturb Congress workers, to which the officer responded, “Je thai se kari lo (Do whatever you like), but I shall continue with my anti-encroachment drive without discrimination.” The officer was transferred the same evening as Joint Director of GMDC. He joined the new assignment the same night, and the city witnessed curfew for 13 days and nine deaths in police firing as people protested the popular officer’s transfer.

In Bihar, the state association of IAS officers allegedly blackmailed the Chief Minister by declaring that officers would not accept verbal orders and that they had no faith in the state government. Association members said they would work with black armbands — a strong trade union practice. They marched on the streets towards the highly protected Raj Bhavan zone, which is a prohibited area under Section 144, particularly when the legislature is in session. They claimed that over 100 members joined the protest.

IAS officers, in doing so, arguably violated the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968 — particularly Para 7 — by publicly criticising government action, policy and decisions, thereby embarrassing the government.

Jeetan Ram Manjhi, who was Chief Minister of Bihar, is on record alleging that the arrest of Sudhir Kumar, IAS (1987 batch), was a vindictive action, and he named an IAS officer in the CMO. Sudhir Kumar, before his arrest, had also named the CMO as having influenced recruitments. No offence is intended to the officer concerned, as this merely quotes the former Chief Minister’s statement and carries no personal allegation.

I am told that Nitish Kumar is not in the habit of being blackmailed. Even Maoists say they have no faith in the government. Best wishes to the elites of society.