Growing clout
A retired IPS officer has become very powerful since the process for the assembly election began – for his IAS officer wife. The officer has begun to live on the outskirts of the state capital, but the number of people visiting her has increased, because her name has been recommended for an important position. The name of madam is on top of the list of officers whose names are doing the rounds for the coveted post that is going to fall vacant after the retirement of an officer. It is said that the possibility of Madam getting the post is behind the growing importance of Sahib. The retired IPS officer is close to many important people in the state, so they want madam to get that position. Those close to Sahib say it is difficult to remove an officer from the position; so, after taking over the charge, the officer may remain there for some time.
Singing to tune of time
Most of the people, especially the officers, have sniffed a whiff in the air. A retired IAS officer has predicted the return of the ruling dispensation to power, and a politician, who he is on good terms with, may take over as chief minister. To justify his claim, the retired officer is telling people how that politician has become close to the central leadership of the BJP. He is talking in a tune punctuated by the facts, that once the government is formed, his importance will grow. Those who have smelt the scent in the air have begun to give him weight, thinking that the retired officer may be correct, so they are sparing no effort to please him. Sahib has been known for getting officers posted to a particular area in the past five years; but, in the last few months, he seemed to have lost his significance in the administration.
Officers lose kip
Many officers have lost sleep after income-tax raids on a corporate house. It was not because of the raids, that they are out of sleep, but because of the papers found during the raids, have made them restless. A few documents, containing the names of many officers and the description of the amount sent to each of them, were found in the raids. The names of many IAS and IPS officers and those of politicians were written in papers. The names of three present and two retired officers were mentioned in the documents that consisted of the amount of dough given to them. It came to light that besides taking payola, the officers enjoyed staying in lavish hotels and using luxury cars. The name of a personal secretary of a minister, who took a huge amount of cabbage, has been mentioned in the documents. The company also spent a huge amount on the personal secretary, through whom an immense sum was transferred to the minister. If the documents are out, there will be a major political storm in the state.
All for posting
Senior bureaucrats generally lobby for their posting in the run-up to an election, but a few junior officers have begun to influence the higher-ups for getting a plum posting. A powerful officer is in touch with a senior leader of the Congress and has begun to befriend the latter. On the contrary, because another leader of the same party is angry with the officer, he is trying to woo the senior leader of the Congress to get a plum posting in case the present government should lose power. Likewise, another bureaucrat has begun to get closer to a Congress leader, for which he used the links his in-laws have with the politician. The officer is pulling out all the stops to be with the opposition camp, so that if the government changes, he may not have any problem in getting a desirable position.
Unknown reasons
An IAS officer has launched a political outfit quitting his job, but few could understand the reasons for his wayward action. When the officer quit his job, he made tall claims about his win in the election, but the situation has come to such a pass that those whom he gave tickets may not even save their deposits, so winning a seat is out of question. Those close to him failed to appreciate the reasons that forced the officer to launch a political outfit. There are whispers that a senior leader of the Congress advised the bureaucrat to launch the political party, so that some candidates throw their hat in the ring and kick in the teeth of the BJP candidates on the basis of caste equations. There are reports that the retired officer disappointed the Congress leader, because his political outfit could not muster enough strength that might pose a threat to the BJP vote bank. The politician, too, stopped giving him any importance.
Kahin khushi, kahin gham
Diwali brought happiness to a female IAS officer known for her uprightness, but for another woman officer, it turned out to be dark Diwali. The female officer was posted to the Centre, and the position she got is very important, because many industrialists come to this department for work. The department, where the woman officer has been posted, deals with the companies owned by two much-talked-about industrialists in the country, so it is generally believed that she has been given a lot of importance. The husband of the woman officer has also been given an important position in the Central Government. Both of them have got importance because of their honesty. On the other hand, another female IAS officer looks disappointed for not getting a posting, because the officer recently picked a fight with the state government, besides she has not been deputed to the Centre. So the sharp-witted officer is in a bad state. There are whispers that should she not get a posting immediately, she may go into depression.
