Who is Running Hooda’s Government?

Chandigarh(I Haryana News):In a Democracy People elect their political representatives and give them mandate to govern over them, and bureaucracy of any status highest or lowest in this form of governance are suppose to carry out the implementation of policies and orders decided by the political heads of democratic governance.

In contrast to this, the Indian bureaucracy is a permanent unlike United States; where Political Head of Government appoint them till his pleasure but the permanency feature in Indian bureaucracy provide it option to encroach in the domain of Political heads without sharing the public responsibility, which political head of government owns.

But this simple and all essential democratic rule of separation of power is being brutally thrashed in Haryana, where some senior bureaucrats are openly ignoring this and overpowering the political heads domains, even of the Chief Minister, Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda, which is ultimately hampering image of Political head of Haryana government in public eyes. 

On August 15, 2012, on Independence Day, as per information, a Delhi based Hindi News Channel covering Haryana was scheduled to take exclusive interview of Chief Minister on sports achievements of the state at his residence at 7 PM in evening, due to alleged tussle in high ranked PR officers around Mr. Hooda, the all of Electronic media channels reporters were invited at same time and at same avenue clashing the exclusive timing.

When a national news Channel correspondent tried to ask Chief Minister, Mr.Hooda, about Haryana government response in Former home minister Mr. Gopal Kanda case, would his government cooperate with Delhi Police if asked, again senior PR bureaucrat interrupted Chief Minister in presence of Media that not to respond media queries on Gopal Kanda case as this will kill the sports story, after that Mr. Hooda acceded to his PR support team advice and kept mum.

This act of advice to Chief Minister by a senior PR bureaucrat annoyed the other electronic media correspondents, soon Mr. Hooda smelled the annoyance of other electronic media correspondents and came out of his room ignoring PR advice and answered the questions of media wiling fully and open heartedly on Mr. Gopal Kanda issue.

Further in series on 14 August, a day before a Chandigarh based Hindi Newspaper published a news report in which it was announced by again Additional Principle Secretary to Chief Minister of Haryana, Dr. K K Khandelwal that Haryana government to give cash awards to all Haryana players who have participated in London Olympic 2012 in additional to Rs 1.5 crores for all four medal winning players hailing or linkage from Haryana.

This announcement of  cash awards to all the Haryana players who have participated in London Olympic 2012 was made by Chief Minister, Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda in his public address on August 15 at Karnal, whereas, news of this announcement had already published in press on behalf his  Additional Principle Secretary Dr. K K Khandelwal on 14th  August, i.e. a day before the announcement made by Haryana Chief Minister, this also embarrassed him and again put big iota over the question that who is running the Hooda’s Government.

In another incidence, of July 20, 2012, the Haryana Cabinet met under the Chairmanship of the Chief Minister Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda and approved a new “Land Pooling Policy” of the State Government to make the landowner-farmers partners in the process of planned development of residential and industrial infrastructure, the announcement to this effect was made by Mr. Hooda himself in a press briefing after the said cabinet meeting.

The serious question mark over political authority was again figured when on July 19, 2012, a National daily published a news report detailing the Land Pooling policy with Heading “ Haryana Will Announce Its Land Pooling Policy Today”, whereas that till that time the Cabinet approval was yet to be given on this policy, a day ahead of cabinet meeting.

The detail published in a newspaper regarding the Land Pooling Policy were exact as it was latter announced by Chief Minister Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda on July 20, 2012, and also the Heading of the news clearly shows that the concerned newspaper was given access of land pooling policy documents prior to cabinet meeting, This also could not be possible without the help of senior bureaucrat posted in CMO.

It is prerogative of Cabinet, consists of chief minister and his ministers to approve or not to approve any policy decision of governance but publication of policy with heading “cabinet will approve” means there is some who is holding power other than political head who was sure that Haryana cabinet will act as rubber stamp and approved the leaked land pooling policy as such.

The privacy is one and most important element of governance policy decisions making, which was not followed in this case, nor was it inquired who had broken the privacy of Haryana cabinet, as it has lowered the esteem of Government headed by Chief Minister, Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda in public eyes

The last not the least, an Incidence to mention here was of July 7, 2012, when Additional Principle Secretary to Chief Minister of Haryana, Dr. K K Khandelwal during DCs and SPs meeting narrated a story how the father of Nation, Mahatma Gandhi’s Name has become synonymous of Corruption in Haryana in presence of Chief Minister, Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda and other senior officers including the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, both responsible to tap on corruption in state bureaucracy.

The news report on this incidence was published in some section of press, and till filling of this news report no denial on this issue was made by Haryana government nor by the concerned officer, the issue here is not only of disobedience of set protocol but also of threat to authority of political head which is directly linked with people authority over governance. The Father of Nation is not an ornamental status given to Mahatma Gandhi by Indian Government but people of India respect and trust him, linking his name with corruption in state bureaucracy is like playing with public respect and trust on their National Leader. It clearly manifests that some bureaucrats showing proximity to Chief Minister have forgotten that in democracy, Public is their real Master.

The all above incidences have made people to feel cheated when they see that persons to whom they had chosen their political representatives for democratic governance over them overpowered by someone in state bureaucracy, who wants to govern through the should of present political representatives, that too with no responsibility towards citizens.

The governance system derived by our constitution to established the people's authority over the governance, depicting people as the real master in a democracy, where people always have option to vote out those political representatives who do not work as per their aspirations and expectations.

The governance in a democracy like India is an art, where encroachments are the frequent occurrences, The able political head of governance should not allow anyone to touch his authority to govern, as he or she is only custodian of Public authority to govern them till people hold trust on them, any leniency towards dilution of authority to govern the people in a democracy is the worst act against the cost (Freedom struggle) at which we have achieved this form of self governance.

Source: Intelligent Haryana News 

Dinesh Singh Rawat Says: 

As social researcher, I see one reason why Indian voters are considerably losing faith in present form of governance, i.e. Democracy, which is universally considered as the best form of governance because when a voter who elects his political representative and give him or her the authority to represent and govern over them feels cheated , when he see a bureaucrat is governing them in poxy.

I have seen a famous “Yes Minister, a satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted by BBC Television in 1980 decade in which a Personal Assistant of Minister always know better than the Minister and performs his master’s job in proxy. 

For last five years, I as research Journalist, witnessing Yes Minister Serial in Haryana, but now Personal Assistant (senior officers) of Political Head in this agriculture state have gone further of serial character and started to take credit instead of their political masters that has made apprehension true expressed by then British politicians after watching Yes Minister.