'Politicians, bureaucrats most hated in India'

Former Karnataka Chief Secretary A Ravindra on Wednesday said politicians and bureaucrats are the most hated in India. Ravindra was addressing the gathering after the release of his book, Governing an Indian State – Karnataka in Focus.

“Politicians and bureaucrats are equally hated. No matter what, people tend to see both along the same lines. The Karnataka Public Service Commission has lost value after irregularities. Incidents like this result in speculation that bureaucrats are equally responsible for corruption,” said Ravindra.

Former Supreme Court Chief Justice M N Venkatachalaiah released Ravindra's book. T M Vijaya Bhaskar, Chief Secretary, Meenakshi Sundaram, former Secretary, Govt of India and Sandeep Shastri, pro-vice-chancellor, Jain University were also present at the event.

“My focus here is purely on my experience as a civil servant in Karnataka. I have elaborated on the evolution of the state, concept and challenges of governance, elections, dynamics of state policies, bureaucrats and others in the book,” Ravindra added.

Sandeep Shastri, who wrote the preface said: “We can rarely expect this from bureaucrats. Some have made their books autobiographies. But Ravindra’s approach is different.” Speakers also mentioned how abruptly the cabinet berths were increased from 25 to 40 at present, which is the highlight of the work.

Shastri further added that the biggest takeaway in the book is the conclusion, where Ravindra speaks about the need for governance and electoral reforms.