Tales of the IAS “Power Couples”
Tales of the IAS “Power Couples”
Bureaucrats, often pejoratively referred to as “Babus”, are generally associated with stories of inefficiency, crony capitalism and the…
Bureaucrats, often pejoratively referred to as “Babus”, are generally associated with stories of inefficiency, crony capitalism and the bureaucrat-politician nexus. There is, however, one occasion when the IAS is the cynosure of all eyes. That’s when the result of the UPSC’s Civil Service Examination is declared. Small-town boys and girls from lower-middle class families get catapulted to national fame when they crack the examination against all odds — a true meritocracy in the making. Media as well as the public is also quick to get hooked onto love stories, catalysed by Cupid, leading to holy matrimony — a lady IAS topper, tying the knot with an IPS officer of a different caste or religion.
Once they exit the salubrious climes of the Mussoorie Academy into the rough and tumble of the field postings, it is worth seeing just how some of these “power couples” fare in their lives and careers. There is, of course, no authoritative definition of a “Power Couple” but it is generally felt that it must have at least one partner, whether the lady or the gentleman, to be an IAS officer. The partner can be from the IPS or IRS. Of course, both can be members of the charmed IAS.
Two for the Price of One
An IAS couple belonging to the batch of the first half of the 1970s, had been allocated to a prosperous North Indian State. When the husband was overlooked for the post of the Chief Secretary, he proceeded on “protest leave” and finally landed up with the job of the Secretary to the Government of India in an important Ministry, playing the “victim card” to perfection. In spite of the obvious potential of his domain, he did zilch for his home-cadre and retired uneventfully in New Delhi. However, the couple pleaded obsequiously with the very same CM to get the husband a 5-year statutory assignment. His wife, in spite of her seniority, was similarly overlooked for the post of the Chief Secretary by the next CM of a different political party but she too managed to get herself a similar post-retirement appointment from him.
An IAS officer, known for his integrity and efficiency, was appointed the Chief Secretary (CS) of a sensitive border State, superceding a number of his batchmates, including his wife, who was appointed the Financial Commissioner of an important Department dealing with the rural masses. While the husband was submissive and compliant to the political masters, the inflexible and unyielding lady IAS officer developed a reputation of listening neither to the CS nor the CM. This arrangement continued for about four years, as it coincided with the retirement age of the IAS going up from 58 to 60 years. When the elections loomed large and the graph of the Government had dipped abysmally, the CM is widely believed to have told the new CS that it was his biggest mistake to retain the lady officer in the crucial post and that she had caused incalculable damage to their Party politically.
IAS-IPS Combo
IAS-IPS combination is arguably the most influential among the power-couples in a cadre. Generally, the gentleman is an IPS officer, while the wife an IAS officer, although the couples from among more recent recruits could exhibit the reverse combination. The assertive and dynamic partner not only takes on shaping and modeling his or her own career graph but also imparts some degree of momentum to the more laidback spouse. Where both the officers are equally energetic, the couple can be a real force to reckon with, especially as they ascend upwards in the respective cadres.
IRS-IAS/IPS couples are uniquely placed where Income Tax cases of the members of the political executive and the higher bureaucracy are under scrutiny. However, the IRS partner may come under inordinate pressure from their spouse. An IPS officer posted in a Central Intelligence agency had an IRS wife, who was posted in the Investigation (Raid) Wing of the Income Tax. Thanks to the free flow of information between the two, the wife was able to get significant surrender of tax from her assesses, apart from rich tributes being paid by others who always thought that she had more information on them than was available on the files. Both of them retired at the top but one positions in their respective cadres and have happily retired to a huge but unobtrusively located Farmhouse close to the City Beautiful.
Extended Honeymoon
The “Power Couples” face difficulties and constraints in serving together and even when they play their cards diligently, they have to leverage all their influence to have ride as smooth as the one enjoyed by the singletons in service. The honeymoon that began in Mussoorie may well remain choppy but with a little effort by both the partners, can morph into a fairy tale till retirement and beyond.
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KBS Sidhu. The author is an IAS officer of 1984 Batch of Punjab cadre. The views expressed are his own.
He can be reached on kbs.sidhu@gmail.com or @kbssidhu1961