Facts you must know about OP Rawat, the new CEC

Madhya Pradesh
Some little known facts about OP Rawat

NK SINGH

Om Prakash Rawat, who takes over as Chief Election Commissioner of India on January 23, had recused himself in April 2017 from hearing cases related to Aam Admi Party. He was, at that time, the Election Commissioner. (In October that year, however, he joined back the EC's full bench for hearing the case.)

Rawat's action was extraordinary, probably the first of its kind in Election Commission of India's history. He took the step after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal publicly said he did not believe in independence of two Election Commissioners ---- AK Joti, a former chief secretary of Gujarat, and OP Rawat, a retired IAS officer of MP cadre.

Joti, being the senior most Election Commissioner at that time, subsequently became the Chief Election Commissioner in July. Now Rawat takes over from him.

Joti served as chief secretary when Narendra Modi was chief minister of Gujarat. After he retired, Gujarat Government appointed him as state vigilance commissioner. So, in Kejriwal’s eyes he was a Modi man.

Kejriwal also doubted Rawat’s credentials because he “has been very close to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan."

The charges came even as Election Commissioner of India was hearing five cases against AAP. Two of these cases relate to 48 AAP legislators in Delhi allegedly holding office of profit. If proved true, these MLAs faced disqualification. One of these cases had reached the advanced stage of hearing.

The cases were finally decided last week, with the President disqualifying 20 AAP legislators on January 21 following recommendation by the Election Commission.

Rawat’s surprise move to recuse himself had caused a glee in AAP camp, which believes in shooting from the hip. Many of his former colleagues in bureaucracy feel that recusing was a sign of weakness.

At that time, Rawat sought to justify his action: “Election Commission is a quasi-judicial body that delivers verdicts. I have recused myself so that he (Kejriwal) can have faith in the independence of the institution.”

However, subsequently, in October 2017 he joined back the full bench for hearing the AAP case at the request of the then CEC AK Joti, pleading that "the work of Election Commission is above everything else".

But, is Rawat really close to Shivraj Singh Chouhan, as alleged by AAP?

Rawat is from MP cadre, like Najeeb Jung, Kejriwal’s nemesis. But there the similarities end. Jung was from ‘burra sahib’ tradition of civil service, a twice-born ruler. The 1973 batch officer was considered close to his political masters, wherever he worked.

Rawat, a career bureaucrat four years Jung’s junior, was never considered close to anyone.

Madhya Pradesh cadre has traditionally produced a fine crop of officers, who have often dominated the IAS network at national level. Rawat is one of its finest specimens, totally non-controversial. He is affable, low-profile, and honest, a virtue that is fast becoming a rarity in civil services. People in MP remember him as a genteel, soft-spoken, true gentleman.

But he is also a staunch follower of the rule book. That trait ensured that he was never considered close to any politician, including former chief minister Babulal Gaur, whom he served as a Principal Secretary.

Let me share an anecdote that sheds some light on Rawat’s personality. In the mid-90s, he sought a deputation to Delhi, leaving the cosy and comfortable posting of his home cadre. It was partly a career move, no doubt. But few know the real reason behind it.

One day Rawat realised that his children were becoming too dependent on servants, even asking them to fetch a glass of water. Bhopal’s bureaucratic circles are notorious for army of servants that are deployed in their houses, both officially and unofficially.

“That was the day I made up my mind to shift to Delhi, where my children have to go to bus stop and can grow up like normal kids,” Rawat confided at that time.

Bureaucrats in MP, retired as well as serving, laugh at the idea of Rawat being close to Chouhan. “It is preposterous,” said a former chief secretary.

In fact, Chouhan appointed a junior officer, R Parsuram (1978 batch), as chief secretary, by-passing Rawat’s claim. After that Rawat went on deputation to New Delhi.“And they say, I was close to Shivraj Singh,” exclaimed the 1977 batch officer.

In fact, Chouhan was totally cold toward this low-profile officer. In 2014, when he retired and returned to MP for academic assignments, Rawat sought an appointment with the Chief Minister. That appointment never came. “I could not even meet him,” Rawat confided, pointing out towards the unfairness of Kejriwal’s allegation.

Apparently, Rawat is neither close to Chouhan, nor did the latter play any part in his appointment as Election Commissioner.

His appointment as Election Commissioner in 2015, one and a half year after superannuation, and now as CEC, restores one's faith in the system.

Sticklers to rule book like Rawat can never be close to power that be because they would insist on following the law.

 And that is like showing red flag to our political class.

But that hardly matters to politicians like Kejriwals, who love to make wild allegations.

Excerpts from Powers That Be, my column in DB Post of 30 April 2017.
Updated on 22 January 2018.

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