WHEN TWO BROTHERS STOP TALKING, THE STAFF START RUNNING THE HOUSE
There is an old story about two brothers who ran a successful family business. They loved each other, trusted each other and, on most days, wanted the same things. But one brother began relying too heavily on a particular employee. Instead of speaking to his brother directly, he started getting updates, decisions and advice through that employee. Slowly, the employee became the bridge between the two brothers — and eventually, the bridge became a wall. The brothers began fighting over decisions that neither had actually discussed with the other. One would say, “I never agreed to this.” The other would respond, “But I was told you had agreed.” The employee would quietly remain in the middle.
That little story offers an interesting way of looking at the political-administrative relationship between Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Nobody needs to pretend that the relationship between the two leaders is always friction-free. Coalition governments naturally produce competing political interests, competing appointments and competing administrative preferences. But there is another, less discussed layer: the enormous influence senior bureaucrats can acquire when political leaders begin communicating through them rather than directly with each other. One name that repeatedly appears in this administrative ecosystem is IAS Aseem Kumar Gupta. Gupta currently holds the position of Additional Chief Secretary, Housing, while also serving as Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development-I. Maharashtra Housing Department Housing and Urban Development (UD) are among the most politically consequential departments in Maharashtra. They touch Mumbai’s development, housing policy, urban planning and a powerful network of institutions. MHADA, MMRDA, BMC, CIDCO and the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) are not merely government offices sitting quietly in Mantralaya; they are institutions through which land, redevelopment, infrastructure, housing and Mumbai’s future are shaped. And that is precisely why the question of who advises whom becomes politically important.
There has also been public reporting about differences between Fadnavis and Shinde over important bureaucratic appointments. In the case of the BMC commissioner’s post earlier this year, The New Indian Express reported that Fadnavis and Shinde were backing different IAS officers, with Gupta reported as Shinde’s preferred choice. The New Indian Express report So the issue is not whether an IAS officer should have influence — senior bureaucrats are supposed to advise ministers; that is their job. The issue begins when administrative advice starts becoming a substitute for political communication. This is where another name enters the conversation: IAS Naveen Sona, who has served as Principal Secretary to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Public reporting has identified Sona among the senior officials attending meetings with Shinde in his capacity as Deputy Chief Minister. Mid-Day report The political concern, therefore, is not that officers work closely with a minister. They must. The concern is what happens when political leaders begin receiving information through a narrow administrative channel and when the political principal does not independently verify what is being communicated.
A decision can then be presented as “the Deputy Chief Minister’s decision” when the Deputy Chief Minister may not have personally discussed every detail; a bureaucratic recommendation can gradually acquire the appearance of a political instruction; and two political leaders who may actually be capable of resolving an issue between themselves can end up arguing over a decision that neither fully discussed with the other. That is how the two brothers start fighting.
And there is an even bigger issue. When a senior bureaucrat simultaneously occupies influential positions across Urban Development and Housing, the question of appointments to powerful institutions naturally becomes politically significant. Who becomes the next SRA CEO? Who heads the next MHADA as VP? Who gets important responsibilities in MMRDA once the Commissioner’s post gets vacant? Who gets which municipal or urban-development assignment? Who will be permanent ACS Housing Secreatry? These are not ordinary postings. The people occupying these positions can influence the implementation of policies worth thousands of crores and decisions affecting some of the most valuable land and infrastructure projects in Maharashtra. That is why political leaders need to be particularly careful about allowing any intermediary — however experienced, senior or trusted — to become the permanent communication channel between them. The solution is surprisingly simple: Shinde should speak directly to Fadnavis be it any proposal, appointment of anyone or file to be cleared. If there is a disagreement over an appointment, let the two leaders disagree with each other. If there is a disagreement over policy, let them argue it out across the table. If one leader wants one officer and the other wants another, let the political leadership own that decision.
But neither leader should have to discover later that something was supposedly decided in his name. Because once political leaders begin hearing from their own officers what the other leader supposedly said, rather than hearing it directly from the other leader, the bureaucracy stops being merely an instrument of government and starts becoming the interpreter of political relationships. Maharashtra does not need bureaucrats deciding who should fight with whom. It needs politicians talking directly to politicians and bureaucrats doing what bureaucrats are supposed to do — advise, implement and administer. The two brothers in our opening story eventually understood their mistake. They stopped asking the employee what the other brother had said. They started asking each other. Perhaps there is a lesson there for Mantralaya too. When the brothers talk directly, the middleman becomes unnecessary.
Vikrant Meena Hemant Joshi.
