Just a civil servant

In his book, Anil Swarup narrates a host of stories surrounding his assignments, some of them linked to historic moments in contemporary Indian politics, such as the demolition of the Babri Masjid

Not Just a Civil Servant

Anil Swarup

Unicorn Books; Rs 499, 200 pages

If only former bureaucrats could forget they were civil servants and drop their inhibitions when they pick up the pen. In his book Not Just a Civil Servant, Anil Swarup narrates a host of stories surrounding his assignments, some of them linked to historic moments in contemporary Indian politics, such as the demolition of the Babri Masjid. But true to his civil service instincts, he does not jettison diplomacy or discard the bureaucratic veil to call a spade a spade, at least, if not a shovel.

For instance, in recounting on the destruction of a religious structure that altered the trajectory of Indian politics in fundamental ways, Mr Swarup was in a position to offer some insights into the events leading up to that fateful day on December 6, 1992. As an aide to then Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh he was at Ground Zero, as it were. Instead, his three-page account of the events mostly focused on defending Mr Singh’s record, despite evidence to the contrary. Praising Mr Singh for his honesty and “no-nonsense” approach, Mr Swarup writes: “Kalyan Singh was crestfallen and livid. Along with the Babri structure, his dreams of re-building Uttar Pradesh came crashing down.”  His evidence for this statement are two phone calls, one to the Rajasthan Chief Minister and another to L K Advani, for which he (Mr Swarup) is the only witness.  

This is not to say that Mr Swarup’s memoir lacks potential. The former secretary of coal and, later, school education, recounts some interesting episodes in his early career, such as a victory in a game of cards that got him promoted to sub-divisional magistrate. In his 38-year career, Mr Swarup held many assignments, some of them, especially in his cadre state of Uttar Pradesh, cannot be described as pleasant. He suffers the classic problem of the upright bureaucrat. During his tenure in Pradeshiya Industrial & Investment Corporation of Uttar Pradesh (better known as PICUP), for instance, he unearthed a journalist-bureaucrat-politician nexus and was transferred for his pains. He, nevertheless, manages to steer clear of too much controversy and move on.

From Mr Swarup’s account and considering that he chose to devote more than 50 pages to his stint as the directorate general of labour welfare, the execution of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, a health insurance scheme, remains close to his heart and he clearly considers it one of his most rewarding experiences.

Equally fulfilling, it is evident, was his tenure at the Project Monitoring Group (PMG) set up under the United Progressive Alliance government. There, his complaints to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Oscar Fernandes about a “tax” (bribe) being levied in the environment ministry yielded results ,with the minister concerned being transferred. This helped unclog approvals for a host of projects. Here, too, he plays safe and does not name the minister, although a simple Google search can yield the name for the curious reader.

After PMG comes his stint as secretary in the ministry of coal under the National Democratic Alliance government. Although coal mine auctions were a landmark achievement during his tenure there, he is critical of Vinod Rai, then Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), whose report caused the cancellation of all captive coal mine allocations. Mr Swarup is critical of Mr Rai not just for the report but also the way it was publicised. “The CAG, it appeared was on a fault-finding mission…The job of any civil servant, more so of the CAG, is to do his job quietly and not go to town,” he writes. In fact, in a rare departure from his habitual diplomacy, Mr Swarup ascribes the CAG’s critical report to his attempts at becoming famous.

Mr Swarup is, however, silent on his exit from the coal ministry, which surprised many. To be sure, the transfer was part of a massive exercise that saw more than a dozen secretaries being moved or appointed. All he says is that the shift was “a bliss” (sic). This is where an honest account of what led to the change and who wanted him out of the coal ministry could have added heft to his memoir.

The book, in fact, does not go beyond sermons and anecdotes, with few insights into what really went on behind the scenes. Bureaucrats, after all, move in the corridors of power by virtue of their jobs and, therefore, have unique access to the inner workings of governments. Mr Swarup does not seem inclined to convert this access into anything more than a self-centred book — the pronoun “I” predominates — and bureaucratic disdain.

The last chapter in Mr Swarup’s book deals with what he would like to be if he were born again. It isn’t surprising that he would want to be a civil servant again. It is true that civil servants can make a lot of difference to the lives of people they deal with and Mr Swarup seems to have done that successfully in his various roles. But in a society in which the bureaucracy, especially officers of the Indian Administrative Service, exercise considerable power and claim a monopoly on wisdom, where the white sahibs have been replaced by brown ones and where the common man is of little consequence, Mr Swarup’s wish is easy to understand.