‘Excuse me, I’m the new CS’

Lucknow: It was like a midnight swoop. The target was the chief secretary’s office and the victim was its incumbent, Ajay Prakash Varma, who was unceremoniously shown the door.
While still busy with his meeting at around 11.30 pm, Varma was interrupted by a gentleman, flown earlier from New Delhi. He was an IAS officer of 1967 batch, DS Bagga, who later assumed the charge of 36th chief secretary of UP around midnight.
However, the dramatic development left the bureaucracy rattled.While the IAS Association refused to comment on it, apparently fearing a repercussion, senior officials both serving and retired said: “UP’s bureaucracy is the worst in the country.� As a retired official put it: “The IAS cadre is a victim of the changing values of the society. It has no faith in the past and no hope for the future.�
The midnight change was not only a shock but a great blow to an institution like that of the chief secretary, he quipped and said all this had happened because the IAS cadre was totally disunited today and each officer was for himself.
What is surprising is that Bagga virtually laid siege to the office much before the issuance of his formal order. While Varma was caught napping by the situation, the department of appointment and personnel swung into action when it came to know about Mayawati’s diktat in favour of Bagga.
Bagga’s posting does not seem to be a part of the BSP’s Dalit agenda as he is Khattri by caste and a native of Patiala. And yet his backing by BSP’s superemo Kanshi Ram has come as a surprise. Holding an insignificant post of investment commissioner in New Delhi, Bagga was been picked for this coveted post after superseding five other officers of his batch.
Curiously, the PR department of the state government chose to downplay the event by not sending the customary introductory bio-data of the new incumbent. No official version was available for the urgency to effect a change at midnight. However, it was argued that the internal security meeting called by the Union home ministry in New Delhi which was to be attended by chief secretaries, prompted this change.
Bagga left for New Delhi this morning and returned after attending the meeting. One does not know what Bagga pleaded on behalf of UP, one of the most sensitive states with a porous Indo-Nepal border and exposed to the ISI and other terrorist activities.
When asked to comment he said: “I have worked with the Election Commission under TN Seshan and I am in the habit of accepting the challenge. UP is a problem but it does not cause worry to me. Energy, irrigation, revenue generation, wheat procurement and law and order are my top priorities,� he added.