In his bid to bring in more professionalism in governance, PM Narendra Modi picked four former administrators—three bureaucrats and one ex-top police officer for his new team of ministers. While two of them Satya Pal Singh and RK Singh are first-time MPs, the other two, former diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri and ex-IAS officer KJ Alphons aren’t even members of parliament.
BJP leaders believe that the four administrators will be able to bring in professional perspective and proficiency to the government. “They have ample administrative and governance experience. They have been strategically placed in the ministries. The purpose is to bring in more efficiency in governance as the government has only two years left for the next General election in the year 2019,” said a BJP leader.
Law maker from Bihar, R K Singh was the Union Home Secretary before he joined the BJP and contested the 2014 election. He has been known for his no-nonsense attitude and has been given charge of power as minister of state.
Retired top police officer of Mumbai, Satya Pal Singh, the lawmaker from Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, is known for playing key role in crushing organised crime syndicates in Mumbai in 90s. He has been given charge of HRD and water resources, river development and ganga rejuvenation as minister of state.
KJ Alphons was a bureaucrat who was popularly called the ‘demolition man’ when he was with Delhi Development Authority. As a land commissioner with the land agency in Delhi, he played a key role in removing encroachments from government land. He quit the Indian Administrative Service in 2006 and won his first election with support of the Left Democratic Front in Kerala He joined the BJP in 2011. He has been made minister of State (Independent Charge) for portfolios like Tourism and Electronics and IT.
Hardeep Singh Puri, joined the BJP in early 2014 and he was long expected to be part of the government. This year, he was appointed as chairman of the Delhi-headquartered think-tank Research and Information System for Developing Countries. He has been given charge of housing and urban affairs as MoS independent.
However, bureaucrats joining government drew sharp reactions from some politicians. BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday criticised the fact that retired bureaucrats were being relied on more than politicians. “This is new drama being enacted by the BJP. In place of politicians, retired bureaucrats are being relied on more in the expansion and an attempt is being made to propagate the agenda of RSS,” she said in a statement.
