The Queen's puja gift!

The Queen's Puja gift!

Finally the long wait is over! The names of Chairmen of various PSUs and co operative banks were announced last week by the CM’s office.

It had 27 names in the BJD list and 12 names in the BJP list who were posted as Chairmen of various corporations and co operatives. One of the men in the 27 members was the secretary of a department who had been given charge. Since when have government officers become active members of political parties?

As the news broke over the evening bulletins, the appointees were jubilant. Since it came through on the eve of the pujas, it was truly a puja gift to the party men, never mind that 2 ½ years of the regime was already over! The enigmatic Queen was playing the waiting game to ensure that his flock and that of the Bania party stick with him. Delaying the appointments was the brilliant brainwave of Pyari our own Machiavelli! But the duo had no choice, since Panchayat elections were knocking and with disgruntled party men the party had little chance at the hustings !

Party workers and supporters started calling in to offer their profuse congratulations. Surprisingly, the new appointees were hesitant to respond to their warm greetings, since in their heart of hearts they knew how powerless they were in the babu driven Naveen administration! They could not even appoint a temporary peon or even place a purchase order of 100 bucks without the nod of the corporation’s MD . Further, if they badly wanted to consult their MD on some pressing matter, they have to take the pain of getting up and walking across to his room since he will willfully ignore their request to come over.

Most of the PSUs and co operatives are bankrupt and I doubt if they have the money to even pay for the petrol of the Chairman’s car. I guess some of the illustrious Chairmen will have to come to office in their own vehicles. Whew what a change ! That is true Gandhigiri! Lage raho bhayas!

In a singular display of ineptness, a transfer order issued on the same day which preceded the chairman appointments order had posted a babu as the chairman and managing director of the Civil Supplies Corporation. A BJP neta was also appointed as the chairman as per the evening’s announcement. Two persons being appointed by a government order for the same post on the same day ? Ha Ha!

This is the way the Queen’s babus work, my dear folks. Zero competence and nil accountability!

All the while the Congresswallahs are laughing away to their heart’s glory as they mock the BJD-BJP appointees. What a far cry from the halcyon days of the eighties when most of the corporations and co operatives were flourishing . Being newly set up with massive infusion of public funds, the chairmen usually had a plush office with an array of personal staff including a couple of cooks and maalis for the house as well.

The first thing on the new Chairman’s agenda when he joined was to renovate his office and his house with vast doses of public funds. Though there was no salary, fake TA bills and reimbursement of expenses compensated them adequately. He also ripped of his cut from each and every purchase which again was in crores in those days .

In those golden days of yore, the Chairman’s word was gospel truth and no MD however righteous and honest could dare to violate his diktats. The Chairmen happily forked out liberal favours to all and sundry including party men and chamchas.

However, must say it was disgusting to watch these pompous Congress bastards zoom around in red light fitted white Ambassadors and see them throw their weight around! These semi literate idiots who could not even understand a single page of their corporation balance sheets did not have the qualifications to be make it to the clerks’ post!

I am sure you will agree that no Chairman in the Queen’s dispensation will ever dare to even place a purchase order for a packet of office pins without the nod from his MD. He will lose his job overnight and maybe even find himself thrown inside Jharpada if the Queen unleashes the Vigilance bloodhounds!

The best thing to do in my opinion, is to post professionals who are experts in the respective fields as Chairmen or Directors of the floundering PSUs and Co operative Banks and pay them a decent honorarium. These appointments should be apolitical.With their guidance, our corporations and banks could be run properly and efficiently !

But then what will happen to the out of work netas who could not make it to the Assembly! Let them wait for the next elections and let them not be rehabilitated in our insolvent corporations! When shall the Queen with this loud claims of transparency and accountability ever understand this?

I guess I have to approach the DFID to make this happen in our state ! After all they decide government policy in Orissa.