Mixed response to young officers entering politics

Instances of young officers of the all-India civil providers entering politics have drawn each appreciation and criticism.

While some say the event will encourage children to evince higher curiosity in politics, others really feel the system governing political events is so deeply entrenched that new recruits received’t have the ability to make a distinction.

K. Annamalai, a 2011-batch IPS officer, stop the service and joined the BJP in August. Sasikanth Senthil, a 2009-batch IAS officer who resigned final 12 months, joined the Congress on Monday. Both belonged to the Karnataka cadre.

AIADMK legislator and former DGP R. Nataraj, who had spent over 35 years within the IPS, views the actions of the 2 children as fulfilling the “demand of society” that increasingly “qualified, educated and enlightened” people ought to be part of politics. “When such persons become members of political parties, the youth get drawn to issues concerning public affairs. Besides, as both IAS and IPS provide leadership roles, it is only a natural transition for officers of the two services to get into politics,” he says.

Anusuya Daisy Ernest, former Additional Superintendent of Police and a survivor of the 1991 bomb blast in Sriperumbudur that killed former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and 15 others, joined the Congress a number of months in the past. The thought behind her determination is to sensitise the youthful era in regards to the gravity of the crime dedicated almost 30 years in the past. She stresses that political events are in want of people that have a “long, unblemished track record” in public service.

But P. Sivakami, founding father of Samuga Samuthuva Padai and a former IAS officer of the 1980 batch who opted for voluntary retirement in 2008, says, “I don’t think they [new recruits] can effect much change, as the established parties have already set their activities and policies in motion.” Perhaps their expertise as IAS or IPS officers would fetch them social gathering tickets to contest the Assembly or Lok Sabha polls. Beyond this, there received’t be any massive position for them, she feels. She was earlier within the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and unsuccessfully contested the 2009 Lok Sabha election from Kanniyakumari, on a BSP ticket.

While welcoming the entry of young officers into politics, M.G. Devasahayam, a 1964-batch IAS officer of the Haryana cadre who selected voluntary retirement, cautions that they are going to face challenges whereas coping with the rank and file of the social gathering. Given the construction of the events, they could change into like a “cog in the wheel”. Yet, they’ve an opportunity of climbing the ladder as age is on their aspect, he provides.