The Hindu : Karnataka News : Out of power, out of circuit

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Tuesday, Jul 07, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Out of power, out of circuit

People losing power after electoral defeat or retiring from service after holding a high-profile office often find themselves in humbling or piquant situations. Not many like to talk about their embarrassing moments so three cheers for former chief secretary Prahlad Mahishi, who has also served as Bangalore Development Authority Chairperson as well as private secretary to a prime minister. Mr. Mahishi, attending a delayed farewell function by the IAS Officers Association to seven IAS officers, including Abhjit Sengupta and S.M. Acharya, here on Saturday, willingly narrated the strange behaviour of the people after his retirement. As usual, he would be flooded with calls and badgered by visitors asking him to address this function or inaugurate that event. He could hardly turn them down as he had no real excuses. Once the agenda was set, he would be flooded by yet another wave of calls when the party at the other end realised that he no longer held any government position. Usually it was some mumbled excuse or the other. “I could understand their predicament and usually laughed it off,” he said. Mr. Mahishi’s gentle words must have gone home. A senior IAS officer present at the farewell recalled with anguish that he was the only IAS officer not given a farewell when the government shifted him from the post of Chief Secretary to the that of the BDA Chairperson.

Uncomfortable facts

Information Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu is clearly unhappy with journalists as well the media if his speech during the recent Press Day function held at the Banquet Hall of the Vidhana Soudha is any indication. The Information Minister apparently did not think there was a level playing field for politicians and journalists. For, the journalists, who expose politicians’ “wrongdoings” and criticise them for “not fulfilling promises”, do not have to pay for their (journalists’) “misdeeds” or “misconduct”. He felt that journalists should also live up to the ideals they professed as part of their job. “The same rules should apply to everybody,” he said. Next, Mr. Naidu went on to harangue the media on giving the kind of coverage important news deserves. “Often we see unimportant developments exaggerated and blown out of proportion while important news is dismissed with little or no coverage. This has to change,” said Mr. Naidu before adding that he suspected the media of deliberately concealing certain facts. No doubt there were many mediapersons who squirmed in their seats.

T.S. Ranganna

and Laiqh A. Khan

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