Are UP cadre IAS officers losing “respect”? Akhilesh Yadav's smart tips

Akhilesh Yadav

IN MARCH 2010, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav made bureaucrats red faced when he reportedly said, if the Women’s Reservation Bill was passed, “wives and daughters of officers and businessmen who invite whistles from boys” would enter Parliament. Last week, Yadav’s son and current UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav targeted bureaucrats, but in a…
sophisticated manner. First, his remark was restricted only to UP cadre IAS. Secondly, he asked bureaucrats to introspect and find a solution themselves. His argument is that senior officers from the cadre were losing ‘respect’ because of their growing inability to deliver.
While talking to IAS officers from the state for long 30 minutes last Friday, Yadav junior said UP cadre IAS used to get a lion’s share in Central deputation, but there has been a slide in their numbers now. He asked officers to analyze why they are no longer “greeted with respect” now.
With principal secretary to PM Pulok Chatterji, cabinet secretary Ajit K Seth, DoPT secretary PK Misra among others are from UP cadre, the observation made by the chief minister is not exactly correct. Yet, bureaucrats from the state took the young CM’s words pretty seriously. The next day, the UP officers actually discussed how to improve their image when they met for Annual General Meeting (AGM) of their state association. In fact, the AGM of UP IAS Association was held on Saturday after a gap of six years. The officers reportedly decided to learn from other states where Central schemes were being implemented better.
Also Read
Bureaucrats' sons and daughters in UP politics