Patils babus

Former Home Minister Shivraj Patil,who is penning a book on how to respond to terrorism,has been getting feedback on the quiet from a few bureaucrat sympathisers who miss him in North Block. They have told him that a section of the ruling establishment,especially some high-profile UPA leaders,went after Patil because he had refused to entertain some of their requests like providing/ upgrading security cover. The fact,however,is that the former home minister was very generous in providing security cover,including to a section of the glitterati. He wanted a scheme for dedicated security to all MPs. During his tenure,periodic review of security threat perception to the beneficiaries was hardly ever carried out an exercise supposed to be done annually. However,the Home Ministry babus sympathy to Patil is understandable as he stood by them at a time when they faced flak and there was a raging debate on fixing accountability at the bureaucratic level.