End to acrimony

The Gujarat Government's decision to withdraw its circular permittinggovernment employees to participate in RSS activities is bound to bei...

The Gujarat Government’s decision to withdraw its circular permittinggovernment employees to participate in RSS activities is bound to beinterpreted in different fashions by the array of protagonists in thislong-drawn-out drama. In all probability, each of them will seize theoccasion to declare it a victory for itself. And well they might. But itwould be unfortunate if the controversy devolved into petty point-scoringand a public debate into the larger ramifications were put aside.

Clearly, the Congress, which belatedly grasped the issue to mould party, andopposition, unity after its debacle in the February assembly elections,would like to take credit for effecting the reversal. The BJP, for its part,would be keen to reiterate its declaration that the move is aimed atupholding the dignity of Parliament, at facilitating the two Houses toproceed with more urgent tasks. And NDA allies would be eager to point totheir exemplary conduct as partners in government, in standing by the BJP onthe floor of the House while expressing their reservations at privateconclaves.

Yet, in the end, the development is most emphatically a victory for thecoalition dharma, yet another indication of an acceptance that multi-partyrule demands abundant doses of maturity and gracious give-and-take. Whetherit be seat distribution in regional and national polls or an undertaking bya BJP state government, the party is fast realising that being the seniorpartner demands a greater degree of magnanimity. It’s a way of life theparty will no doubt have to accustom itself to. But if episodes like theseillustrate increasing tolerance for allies’ views in political formations,they also point to a dangerously polarised polity.

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Whatever be the merits of the debate, the fact that parliamentaryproceedings were paralysed for days on end amidst raucous exchanges on theGujarat Government’s circular does not augur well for the future. Membersare free to voice their apprehensions and concerns in legislatures indeedit is their duty to do so — but to ignore all else in the process is takingthis right too far.

If, however, political parties would be well advised to put the acrimony ofthe past weeks behind then, they should also deliberate on the fundamentalissue raised: the independence of the bureaucracy. Service rules, inaddition to debarring public servants from enrolling as members of apolitical organisation, also prevent them from taking part in any politicalactivity or movement. As has been pointed out by this newspaper, thecommunist government in West Bengal years ago allowed government employeesto join party organisations. So, it is time the authorities undertook acomprehensive and impartial inquiry into what constitutes politicalactivity. Besides, the biggest threat to the independence of the bureaucracyat the moment comes from the fading away of the civil service spirit thatprevailed in the decades after independence and from the rapidly announcedtransfers that have now become a norm.