A day after Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta expressed displeasure over the functioning of the bureaucracy, Public Works Department minister Parvesh Verma came down heavily on the officials, terming them ‘“thick-skinned’ and stating that they will be made to sweat in the field to burn their fat. Verma’s remarks came during a field visit on Friday. Expressing displeasure over no work being done to clean a drain near the Akshardham Temple in Patparganj, Verma ordered the suspension of the PWD executive engineer Ramashish Singh.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused the BJP of targeting officers and pressuring them for a 10 per cent commission on government projects. Taking a dig at the BJP, newly-appointed Delhi AAP chief and former minister Saurabh Bharadwaj asked the saffron party not to feel bad, reminding it that the elected government in the national
capital cannot suspend any officer.
“Don’t feel bad; the elected Delhi government cannot suspend any officer. This power has been snatched away from the Delhi government by the BJP central government. The Centre had told the Supreme Court that these powers cannot be given to an elected government,” Bharadwaj said in a post on X.
On the other hand, the bureaucrats feel that the current BJP government is acting like the previous AAP government which targeted the bureaucracy during the 10 years rule. The trouble began when Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijendra Gupta criticised the civil servants for allegedly ignoring the grievances of MLAs. This was swiftly followed by remarks from Verma, who described the bureaucrats as “thick-skinned,” painting a contentious picture of their relationship with the political establishment. Such public denunciations from senior BJP leaders have stirred unease among the bureaucrats, who were just beginning to regain their footing after the governmental transition.
Earlier, Verma said during a field visit that “all officers have become thick-skinned in the last 10 years. We are making them sweat in the field. We are also sweating in the field and they will also sweat now, burn their fat and do the job”.
“The entire system in Delhi was on the verge of collapse. But the BJP government has now hit the streets, and the ministers are carrying out field visits for hours. Stern instructions have also been issued to the officials, and any slackness will not be tolerated,” he added. Claiming that the government officials became “thick-skinned” in the past 10 years (of AAP rule), Verma said, “Just as we are taking up field visits, the officials too have to do the same to burn their fat and do the job. They are paid salaries from the public fund, and they have to do work for the people.”
The minister also said that capacity is being enhanced to treat sewage water flowing into the Yamuna through drains.
“I have spoken to the chief ministers of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for treating industrial waste water in the flowing into the Yamuna from drains there,” Verma said.
Interestingly, the bureaucracy which were loggerheads with the previous AAP dispensation, now finds itself in a turbulent phase yet again, despite hopes that the winds of change following the recent assembly elections would usher in a period of stability and respect. With the assembly election results leading to a change in regime, many bureaucrats were optimistic about a fresh start and a more collaborative working environment. However, recent events suggest that these hopes might be premature.
A senior bureaucrat, speaking anonymously expressed dismay over the negative portrayal by the new regime. Reflecting on the past decade under various AAP administrations, he highlighted the challenges faced by officials, recalling instances where senior IAS officers, including former Chief Secretary Anshul Prakash, were subjected to disrespectful treatment.
The environment had become so untenable for some that they volunteered for remote postings in regions like the Andaman and Lakshadweep islands rather than continue under Delhi’s fraught governmental climate.
The current situation poses a dilemma: if the new administration mirrors the antagonistic attitude of its predecessors, it will likely stifle the positive atmosphere essential for effective governance.
Addressing a press conference former chief minister Atishi questioned why the same officers, who worked efficiently under her party’s government, were now being criticised.
“What has changed in just one month? These are the same officers who built the Signature Bridge and transformed Delhi’s government schools.
The BJP is abusing them because the AAP never asked for any commission. Officers have told us that BJP ministers are demanding a 10-per cent cut on all projects and those who refuse are being threatened with suspension, despite the fact that no Delhi minister has the power to do so, only the LG has the power to do that,” she said.
