'Mayawati has a soft corner for the corrupt, just as Mulayam has for criminals'

In New Delhi, Prime Minister I K Gujral may continue to cry hoarse against corruption, but in the country's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, the menace remains as bold as ever. Even the Bharatiya Janata Party -- part of the ruling coalition in UP -- prefers to look the other way when it comes to the unprecedented practices in the state.

More than the rampant corruption, it is the blatant way in which 'deals' are carried out that boggles the mind. Take the latest case: Chief Minister Mayawati quietly reinstated six senior bureaucrats, who were being chased by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the state vigilance department after a major income tax raid, which unearthed assets far disproportionate to their legitimate sources of income.

Interestingly, these are officers whom Governor Romesh Bhandari had kept at a safe distance. During President's rule, Bhandari had withstood much pressure to attach these bureaucrats -- the income tax authorities had evaluated the assets owned by each at something between Rs 1 billion and Rs 4 billion -- to their old departments.

Bhandari's decision gave a big boost to the campaign launched by the UP IAS Association against corruption in the higher echelons of the state bureaucracy. The Association had identified the state's three 'most corrupt' officers through a secret ballot, the result of which was kept in a sealed envelope with the chief secretary.

Now, while the crusaders in the association are actively lobbying for another ballot to identify the 'three most corrupt' for the current year, Mayawati has given a deathly blow by offering plum jobs to each of the six (four IAS and two provincial civil service) officers!

The bureaucrats include New Okhla Industrial Development Area chairperson Neera Yadav, whom the CBI accuses of indulging in largescale manipulations in allotting residential and commercial plots. The then CBI director Joginder Singh had sent a long letter in this regard to Governor Bhandari, who initially was pressurised into not handing over the case to the premier investigation agency. But later, in view of the IAS Association's campaign, he set up a one-man judicial commission under a retired high court judge, Justice Murtaza Hussain. The Commission was asked to submit its report within three months. But it was given a six month extension later.

The other officers are said to own expensive properties in Delhi, Bombay, NOIDA, Ghaziabad and Lucknow; the IT authorities also discovered documents relating to ownership of large farms, commercial complexes, orchards and even resorts. Two of the officials have been vice-chairmen of the Ghaziabad Development Authority, where large scale irregularities were detected in allotments. One official is accused of having made his fortune while being posted as GDA secretary. Another's tenure as Ghaziabad district magistrate was stated to be the most controversial.

All these officials had managed to get away largely on account of their nexus with the seats of power both in Lucknow and Delhi. Interestingly, if these officials were close to Congress leaders during the rule of that party, they managed to get plum postings during Mulayam Singh Yadav's regime too. And no sooner than Mulayam was ousted from power, they struck a rapport with Mayawati, who not only gave them prized jobs, but was also willing to bail them out when, for the first time, they came under the clutches of law.

"No matter who comes to power in Lucknow, corruption in the state will continue," a senior bureaucrat remarks.

"Things have worsened over the years," adds another, "The corrupt always manage to make money, irrespective of who is in power. As they can pay anyone and everyone the price they demand, such people get away with even murder."

"Mayawati has a soft corner for the corrupt, just as Mulayam has for criminals," quips a young Congress leader, who finds the current government 'nauseating.' He squarely blames the BJP for this.

"With what face can they (the BJP) make corruption its main issue, when it is a party to all that is happening in UP?" he asks. He cites the example of a senior IAS officer, who, after topping the the 'three most corrupt' list, was given a most-coveted assignment in the state by Mayawati.

Political adversaries like Mulayam Singh have accused Mayawati of 'filling her coffers by manipulating transfers and postings.' Mulayam Singh has also attributed 'play of money' as the main reason for the unprecedented frequency in transfers, leaving the average IAS or IPS officers with barely a month between postings.

Though crusaders see a silver lining in next month's transfer of power to the BJP, with an upright leader like Kalyan Singh its helm, the million rupee question still remains unanwered: Will Kalyan Singh be allowed to do his job by his coalition partner who, it is sure, will leave no stone unturned to oblige her chosen ones?

The tainted officers have also proved that their reach is far beyond the strong arm of law. After failing to get their cases transferred to Delhi, they have managed to get every senior income tax official dealing with the investigation transferred. The concerned IT commissioner was recently shifted to Meerut, while seized documents relating to the ownership of huge assets (including seven rice mills) were stolen in a burglary at the IT office, Barielly, in April.

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