BJP MLA questions IAS power, says officers ignore leaders:Alleges leaders forced to wait, seeks administrative overhaul

BJP MLA Dr Chintamani Malviya, who represents the Alot Assembly constituency in Ratlam district, has raised questions over his own government’s administrative system. In a video shared on social media, he said that in Madhya Pradesh, the centre of power is no longer the people or elected representatives, but the bureaucracy. Calling for major restructuring of the administrative setup from the Chief Secretary down to the Collector level, Malviya said the democratic system is gradually turning into an indirect corporate-style model. He argued that excessive powers have become concentrated within the executive. According to him, law and order, development, disaster management, land administration, revenue and magisterial powers are all vested in a single officer, upsetting the balance of power. He also questioned why there are so few examples of action being taken against IAS officers. ‘Public representatives are not given attention’, MLA gave these examples 1. Mayor and BJP leaders were made to wait Malviya said Mandsaur Mayor Rama Devi Gurjar, along with BJP district office-bearers and other leaders, had gone to meet the Collector. They were allegedly made to wait for nearly an hour, and the Collector later met them outside instead of calling them into his chamber. 2. District Panchayat President had to sit on dharna on the stairs He claimed that Ratlam Zila Panchayat Chairperson Lala Bai and her husband visited the Collector’s office but could not secure a meeting despite waiting for hours. In protest, she allegedly sat on the office steps. 3. Former Home Minister had to sit at SP office The MLA said senior BJP leader and former Home Minister Himmat Kothari had to sit on the floor at the Superintendent of Police’s office to get an FIR registered in a particular case. 4. Also mentioned the MLA-Collector dispute Malviya also cited the recent dispute between MLA Narendra Singh Kushwah and Bhind Collector Sanjeev Srivastava as an example of growing friction between bureaucrats and elected representatives. 5. ’50 officers bought land, then a road worth 3200 crores came through there’ Alleging corruption within the bureaucracy, Dr Malviya claimed that around 50 IAS officers from different states, along with some IPS officers, purchased nearly 11 bighas of land in Bhopal’s Buradi Ghat area on the same day in 2022. According to him, around ten months later, a ₹3,200-crore Western Corridor Road project was approved through the same area, causing land prices to rise sharply. He alleged that despite the matter coming to light, no action was taken. He further claimed that some former Chief Secretaries and senior officials purchased land in Bhopal’s low-density catchment areas, where houses and roads were later developed despite restrictions. Demand to implement Central government-like administrative structure in states Malviya said that in the Central Government, there is a Cabinet Secretary followed by one Secretary for each department. In contrast, states have a Chief Secretary along with multiple Additional Chief Secretaries and Principal Secretaries. He said a single officer often handles five to seven departments, whereas a minister is responsible for only one department. This, he argued, increases the influence of bureaucrats and reduces the importance of elected representatives. ‘The Collector system should be reviewed’ The MLA said countries such as the United States do not have a Collector-like system. He described the arrangement as a legacy of British rule and said there is a need for serious discussion on reviewing and restructuring the administrative framework in current circumstances. ‘MLAs are ahead in protocol, not in practice’ Malviya pointed out that MLAs and mayors are placed above the Chief Secretary in the official protocol hierarchy, while Collectors rank much lower. However, he said elected representatives do not receive corresponding respect in practice. He called for comprehensive administrative reforms to restore the balance of power in a democracy. IAS Association said- Direct dialogue with the public Responding to Malviya’s remarks, Madhya Pradesh IAS Association President Manoj Srivastava said he had not seen the MLA’s video and therefore could not comment on it directly. However, he maintained that Collectors in Madhya Pradesh maintain direct interaction with the public. He added that in several other states, Collectors and SPs communicate through personal assistants, while in some places officers do not attend offices after noon and work from camp offices. Srivastava said relations among officials, the public and elected representatives are better in Madhya Pradesh, adding that he was not fully aware of the specific issues raised by the MLA.