While a couple of newspapers have gone to town calling civic chief S Jagadeesan all kinds of names and accusing him of every conceivable misdeed, a few others have heaped on him encomiums usually reserved for martyrs. Yet another newspaper, which shred his reputation to bits with a relentless campaign over the past few days, has carried the briefest possible item on a major civic development: the municipal commissioner's transfer.

The coverage of the transfer has been so contradictory that even hard-boiled journalists and perpetual cynics would throw their hands up in despair. In a way, however, it serves the commissioner, who thrived on a `divide-and-rule' media policy, well.

In fact, it was when a major newspaper suddenly started going hammer and tongs at the irascible commissioner that two newspapers rose in defence. The division continued to haunt Jagadeesan till the day he was transferred, even though he maintained all along that he cared two hoots about newspapers and what they wrote.

During his controversial tenure, the no-nonsense commissioner took on powerful builders and carried on demolitions at such a frenzied pace initially that it gave the ruling party the jitters. The spin was that he would spare none, not even the mighty ruling politicians, who have virtually no opposition in the Surat Municipal Corporation.

From introducing uniforms for municipal officials and the punching card system for civic staff, to rubbing councillors the wrong way and slighting senior partymen at the first opportunity, Jagadeesan won few friends. Accused of treating most reporters like dirt and pampering a few, the commissioner found those rejoicing at his transfer far outnumbering those upset.

Contrast this with the brouhaha his predecessor S R Rao's transfer had evoked. The same newspapers virtually led a campaign to recall Rao, whose stay not only earned Surat the tag of second cleanest city in India but won him the coveted Padmashree as well.

Surat went on to become a model for other cities, with delegations keen on learning about the cleanliness drives and hygiene codes pouring in from all quarters. Rao had media management down to a fine art, but at times it almost bordered on obsequiousness, earning him the somewhat unwarranted ``publicity-crazy'' image.

Rao, like Jagadeesan, conducted demolition drives that had the city fathers tearing their hair out -- he even slapped a powerful MLA in public once -- but he never humiliated them verbally. His successor, however, was rarely wanting for uncharitable remarks against all, including senior civic officials. Insiders recall how the mere mention of Rao in Jagadeesan's presence was tantamount to asking for trouble, apparently because the former's international fame made the latter see green. He'd reportedly boast, while criticising Rao's tendency to woo the media, ``I was the first to demonstrate to the world the powers enjoyed by a municipal commissioner under the BPMC Act.''

Surtis, alas, may not agree.