BJP party will train its ministers

[Harold F. Schiffman]

>>From Asian Age,

BJP will train its ministers
The Asianage (1/27/2006 11:13:07 PM)

Bangalore, Jan. 27: Conscious of the fact that most of its MLAs who might
become ministers in the proposed coalition government lack administrative
acumen and experience, the BJP has decided to set up an institutional
mechanism consisting of "well-meaning and friendly" former bureaucrats, ex
senior police officers and technocrats to guide the former on policy
matters. Party sources said that a few former civil servants at the rank
of joint secretary and under secretary, ex-senior police officers,
preferably who have had a stint in the intelligence wing and technocrats,
have been identified and would be sounded to play the role of a "friend
and a guide"  to young ministers.

"The delicacies of administrative machinery, pitfalls and hidden traps, if
any, in the day-to-day governance, how to maintain a cordial but
thus-far-no-further relationship between a minister and a bureaucrat and
other matters would be dealt by these friendly officers," said a party
office-bearer. According to a party leader, "This proposed institutional
mechanism is not a parallel administrative setup. None of its members will
have access to the departmental files or will come to Vidhana Soudha. This
team of BJPs friends are to meet once a week or a fortnight and guide the
ministers on broad policy matters." What is a matter of concern for the
BJP is that almost all the portfolios it expects as per the agreement with
the JD(S) are not only heavy but also have a direct bearing on the
day-to-day life of the common man as well as the image of the government.
The BJP is likely to get rural development and panchayat raj, higher
education, health, excise, finance, major and medium industries,
irrigation, revenue, horticulture, sericulture and science and technology
portfolios. "Some friendly officers, who have had a stint in these
departments, have been identified and would be sounded when once the
ministry formation is over," a leader confided.

The BJP is concerned particularly over issues such as the CET imbroglio,
power situation during summer, mounting uncleared bills of the
contractors, language policy and the like. "Equally important is to
maintain law and order and communal and social harmony in the state. With
many forces baying for BJPs blood, there is every possibility of these
forces making attempts to vitiate the otherwise cordial atmosphere and
bring a bad name to the BJP.

It is in this background we would like ex-senior police officers, who have
had a stint in the intelligence wing, to guide the ministers," a senior
party leader, who is also a legislator, confided.  The BJP has also plans
to invite its senior leaders, L.K. Advani, Jaswant Singh, Arun Jaitley,
Sushma Swaraj and Pramod Mahajan, to address the ministers about the
"nuances and intricacies" of governance. Mr A.B.  Vajpayee would be
requested to speak to the ministers on the essential traits that are to be
cultivated by the ministers for smooth and effective functioning of the
coalition.

http://www.asianage.com/main.asp?layout=2&cat1=5&cat2=138&newsid=205388&RF=DefaultMain