It is said by some observers that two kinds of people have the best sense of what is prevailing on the ground during elections: politicians and bureaucrats. Recently two bureaucrats, one a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and the other a former Indian Administrative Service (IAS), started their political innings with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The development has created quite a buzz in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the February-March assembly elections. While IPS Asim Arun had held many key law enforcement positions during his career, retired IAS Ram Bahadur was once considered the blue-eyed boy of the-then chief minister Mayawati.
Arun took voluntary retirement and joined the BJP, while Ram Bahadur started his political innings after retirement and even tried his luck in the 2017 UP polls by contesting on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket from Mohanlalganj. Though Ram Bahadur lost, by just 530 votes, he didn’t give up and went on to join a lesser-known political outfit, Nagrik Ekta Party.
He has been on key posts like vice-chairman (VC) of Lucknow Development Authority, Ghaziabad Development Authority, etc. His tenure as district magistrate of Gonda is still remembered by many there and he still has many fan clubs on social media hailing the work done by him.
Speaking to News18.com in an exclusive interview, Ram Bahadur said, “When I was in my job, I was serving the government and helping them in implementation of development schemes for the people. In politics also, I wish to serve the people by representing them. It is not about ideology but all about what people felt on the ground. I was highly impressed by the fact that the government schemes were actually reaching out to the beneficiaries and people were actually getting the benefit.”
Be it the Centre or state government, unlike the perception, the benefits of the schemes were being given to the people without any bias, he said.
“Even some people of my staff who were from minority communities were praising the government’s schemes, from Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana to the Kisan Samman Nidhi and to the free ration that people were getting from PDS shops. I think we all need such a government, which actually works for the people without any bias. The working style and dedication of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath are exemplary and also give the inspiration to do something for the people of this country,” said Ram Bahadur on being asked why BJP was his choice.
On the issue of reservation and privatisation by the BJP government, the retired IAS officer said, “The privatisation of government work was actually started way back by the Congress government at the Centre. However, I am of the view that when entities are privatised, then also there should be some kind of arrangement to balance the social equation. I can still recall that when the Congress party had promised a bill for reservation in promotion, BJP was the party which had fully supported it.” Only the Samajwadi Party had opposed the bill, he added.
“I am very much vocal about the reservation issues and this is only possible in a party like BJP, where everyone is heard and their issues are resolved, unlike other parties who may throw their leaders out if they dare to speak against the party line,” said the former civil servant who comes from the Pasi community and has a huge following in Mohanlalganj assembly constituency of Lucknow district.
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