Analytical Note

Analytical Note
on the
Relationship Between Political Class and Bureaucracy

By Saumitra Mohan, IAS Probationer at Jalpaiguri.


The relationship between politicians and bureaucracy has never been very comfortable but the fact remains that unless the two work in harmony, both government and administration cannot run smoothly and in all this, the ultimate casualty is the public weal. Both should work in such a way as not to undermine or belittle each other, but balance and counterbalance each other. When one is going overboard, the other should act as a speed-breaker. And when this is done efficiently, the ultimate winner is, again, public weal.

West Bengal is reputed to have a people who are politically very aware and conscientized and because of the fact that this state is politically very mobilized, an impression has gained ground that the relationship between the bureaucracy and political class here is very problemsome. It is also believed that there is a lot of intervention by political class in the normal functioning of administration. In this regard, my own experience so far has been a happy one but I am told that North and South Bengal are different. While in North people are a bit docile and still feudal in their regard towards the bureaucracy, but South Bengal is a different ballgame altogether where people including political activists do indeed interfere into administration. Though everyone admits of this dichotomy between the two regions of West Bengal, but my seniors who have worked in the South do tell me that it is not as it is made out to be. Whatever, the case may be, but with my own experience I can definitely say that a mobilized and motivated political class is often a help than a hindrance, as it is generally believed.

The panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) here in this state are very institutionalized and are supposed to be one of the best in this country. Because their roots are very deep and because they have been subsisting for a long time now here, so it is quite natural that people including politicians are very mobilized and aware of the different rules, regulations and various legislations on sundry issues and hence, it is not easy to fool them as possible elsewhere and I think none of us should have problem with this feature as this is what we always talk of and stress on whenever we talk about taking democracy to the grassroots and decentralization of power.

I have got immense help from the political class whose long existence and experience with developmental administration often comes handy while implementing various schemes. They not only apprise you of the various problems faced at the grassroots while implementing the schemes but they also give you various valuable suggestions which should be of help to any administrator, not to speak of a neophyte. You can bank on them for your work. The very fact that this is a politically very mobilized society does not leave any scope for any one faction leading you astray easily as there are other political groups, factions and cliques who give you conflicting information and suggestions wherefrom you can, in your good judgment, cull out what is needed for the purpose at hand.

Yes, they do sometimes tell you as to whom to give the contract or a menial job but there I have not seen them doggedly pressurizing for the same. More often than not, it is easy to convince them and sometimes it is advisable to yield to their suggestions, as after all they are the people, quite often they are the elected people who have been trusted with popular confidence to frame policies which we are supposed to implement under their guidance. So, when popular representatives feel that a particular work should be done and when they tell us to do something, we should do it if it does not violate any rule, if it does not go again public interest and if it does not go against the principles of natural justice. And when you are in such a job as ours, a gentle compromise here and there has got to be done without, of course, compromising the national and public interest.

Very often when you are in trouble or confused about something, they support you, act as bumper if any of your unpopular decisions has got the goat of your bosses. They defend you. They fight your battles. Not only that, they also carry forward the good work done by you. So, all your labour and pain do not simply go in vain.
They often there is an ego tussle between the two but one has to learn to overcome such a problem as that is what makes or mars a successful politician or a successful administrator. So, while it does depend on the existing political culture, a healthy relationship between the political class and the bureaucracy also depends, to a great extent, on personalities.

The only irksome experience with a politician I had was during the last pulse polio campaign on 9th November, 2003 when I found that a long queue of very little children along with their mothers has been awaiting the arrival of a Minister at the pulse polio booth for over an hour. When I objected to it and wanted to have it started, keeping in view the harassment being caused to the children and their mothers, immediately, some lower-rung politicians prevented me from doing so. Though, I finally succeeded in my attempt, the same was visibly not liked by these politicians including the Minister.

The bottom line, however, remains that if the government has to govern well, if the administration has to administer and if the national interest and public weal have to reign supreme, there has to be a healthy relationship between the political class and the bureaucracy. It this healthy relationship does not exist, this has to be discovered and sometimes, even has to be invented otherwise the opposite would only spell doom for both the system and its people.