Akhilesh ji, remember Durga Shakti, she is future Kiran Bedi

New Delhi, July 31: The suspension of IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal on the grounds of communal tension has led common public to think over it. The IAS officers' association has lodged a protest against her suspension and the opposition has launched an attack on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government.

Maybe, while suspending 28-year-old Durga, Akhilesh forgot the famous idiom that "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."

So before writing further, we may tell you that Akhilesh, who perhaps, lives in a glass house didn't realise that Durga, whose power, he has snatched by throwing a stone of suspension, has a prospect to be a future Kiran Bedi.

As the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Durga acted against powerful sand mafia in Greater Noida, UP and was suddenly suspended by the UP government. Although, Akhilesh has termed her suspension as an "administrative decision".

In Akhilesh's cabinet, Rajiv Kumar, who is currently posted as the state's principal secretary appointment, personnel and vigilance departments holds a special mention. This is evident from the fact that Akhilesh overlooked Rajiv's wrongdoings, whose name cropped up in Noida plot allotment scandal, was slapped a penalty of Rs 1lakh and was given 3-years in jail by the court but he didn't take much time to suspend an honest officer like Durga. Currently, his trial is going on in an upper court.

Then second tainted IAS officer on whom Akhilesh apparently went soft is former Chief Executive Officer Noida, Sanjeev Saran. There were allegations of irregularities and corruption in land allotments in Noida since 2001. Despite pending graft charges, Akhilesh Yadav government reinstated him in April 2012 at the same post. After acting on an Allahabad High Court order, the SP government finally transferred him as the commissioner of Lucknow division in May 2013.

Two consequences of suspending Durga:

First is Durga's suspension will act as a deterrent to those girls who inspire to become IAS officers in future. This will slowdown the young aspirants' drive to serve the country.

And other administrative officers will also start working in the direction that is guided by bureaucracy. They will stop raising their voice and taking action against illegal work, in fear of loosing their jobs.
This will ultimately give rise to corruption, that is already deep-skinned into the society. Durga was sacked because she took action against sand mafia, but, if the situation remains same, then other illegal mafias will take birth in the near future. This way, Akhilesh's desire of making UP 'Uttam Pradesh' (excellent state) will not be achieved.

Second possibility can be that Durga Shakti Nagpal should rise like a Phoenix, in the same way that India's first woman IPS officer Kiran Bedi rose in 1982.

The fearless and hard-nosed Bedi was New Delhi's Traffic Chief and had the task of organising the traffic planning during the 9th Asian Games in Delhi in 1982. During that time, some VVIPs reached at the stadium to inspect the venue. But, they parked their vehicles in a No-Parking zone.

When it came to the notice of disciplinarian, Kiran Bedi, she got VVIPs wrongly parked vehicles removed by cranes to a jail.

For taking action against VVIPs cars, Bedi was scolded by higher authorities and a strict action was taken against her.

But, the scolding did not deter Kiran Bedi to divert from the difficult path of honesty. Instead, she became more determined to fight against wrong-doings in politics and in the society.

The revolutionary Bedi believes that politicians try to make IAS and IPS officers a mere 'pawn' and want to work with them according to their own whims and wishes.

But, it is entirely upon IAS and IPS officers whether they want to become "scapegoats" at the hand of political honchos or they want to heat up their own pockets by deceiving common public.

So, at the time when corruption is rampant in our society, we expect Durga Shakti to tread on the path of Kiran Bedi, bring reforms, fight against corruption in various levels of the Indian administration and give tough times to her detractors and most importantly become a role model for aspiring IAS officers.

OneIndia News