Monday Mirchi : Is AP under de facto President’s Rule?

Is Andhra Pradesh now under de facto President’s Rule? This is what babus in Andhra Pradesh are discussing in hushed voices. For, under President’s Rule in a state, every direction to the state administration invariably comes from Delhi. The situation now in Andhra Pradesh is similar, with almost every direction coming from Delhi, with the only difference that the directives are coming, not from the Rashtrapati Bhavan, but the office of the Election Commission of India. Of late, the involvement of the ECI in the administrative matters of states going to polls has increased manifold. In the past, the ECI used to get involved in one or two, and that too important, issues. However, bureaucrats in AP today feel that the ECI has taken the entire administration into its hands. The ECI can be expected to give directions related to conduct of elections and related issues, but not on day-to-day matters relating to administration.  If any officer violates the Model Code of Conduct, the ECI has a right to take action against him or her. In AP, the bureaucrats are right now confused over the propriety of the distribution of pensions in view of the directions of ECI. They aver that never in the past has ECI changed as many bureaucrats as this time.