“I have no sympathy for the bureaucrats” Rita Bahuguna Joshi

In an exclusive meeting with Life Watch, Congress President in Uttar Pradesh, Rita Bahuguna Joshi speaks her mind and heart out on UP’s present state of scenario and woeful condition that the State has witnessed during the past 22 years. Rita herself suffered tremendously because of the prevailing law and order condition in the State when her house was burnt and her car attacked. Read Ms. Bahuguna’s views in first person, as she spoke to Life Watch…
For past 22 years, UP has suffered a lot in terms of governance. Congress party had done a lot for development of State and after we quit the power in 1989, the State has steadily gone down since then. It is very unfortunate that in terms of human development index and in terms of social development index, UP is taking lead from bottom. We are considered worst state in India in terms of education, poverty levels and corruption. Unsocial elements rule the roost and we are considered the most unsafe state in the country.
Unfortunately when the people selected the BJP, they found themselves cheated on emotional and sentimental grounds because of Mandir. They gave Samajwadi a chance and it was money and muscle during that tenure. Corruption was supreme. Now, with Mayawati coming, people feel cheated once again because she had given very high sounding promises to give a clean state. I think she will go down in history as personally the most corrupt politician and a Chief Minister who has headed the most corrupt Government in the country. Now with Rahulji’s entrance and his focus on UP, Congress taking to the street, picking up people’s issue, UPA government’s performance in terms of social welfare programs, programs for the poor, people are once again turning towards Congress and Congress party is working very hard to try to pick up the people’s issues. We are trying to rein in the UP Government on the issue of corruption and misgovernance. Party elections are going on; we are strengthening our cadre. We hope to give a new facelift to the Party and in the next two years we are hopeful of turning the tide in favour of the Congress.
I am very sorry to say that bureaucrats are not doing their duty properly. Executive is considered to be a very strong pillar of democracy. But they have become a team of pshcyophants. They are totally corrupt. Bureaucracy is equally responsible for the plight of the State. I feel very sad that they have not stood by the oath that they had taken to save democracy. There are hardly a handful of bureaucrats whom you can call clean. They are paying money for posting. They are cheating the people. The way people are being looted by the bureaucrats and the Government, they are hand in glove. For 22 years they have been cheating; they have been registered in cases. I have no sympathy for the bureaucrats; we are making a list of corrupt bureaucrats.
The Congress party has governed long enough to know how to carry out the administration. I have seen my father working; if the politician is clean and committed everything can be brought under control.