This refers to the article, “Nothing civil about attempts at calumny” (August 26) by Joginder Singh. It is an open secret that our political class is largely responsible for subverting the system and coercing civil servants to indulge in or turn a blind eye to corruption.
Unfortunately, if bureaucrats take a stand against wrongdoing, they face harassment and frequent transfers. Also, the powers-that-be prefer to sacrifice the inconvenient bureaucrat on the altar of vote-bank politics, as has happened in the case of the honest Uttar Pradesh IAS officer, Durga Shakti Nagpal. By suspending Ms Nagpal, the Samajwadi Party-led Government in one stroke appeased both the sand mafia and the minority community.
Indeed the blame for corrupting the system can be squarely laid at the Congress's door which has ruled this nation for the better part since our independence. Today, tainted bureaucrats like PJ Thomas get rewarded and honest ones like Ashok Khemka are punished. Worse, the regional parties are going the Congress route to contain and browbeat honest officers.