Don’t be robotic, spend some time with family, PM Modi advises government officers

New Delhi: Asserting that “political intervention” is necessary in a democracy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made it clear to bureaucrats not to see this as a hindrance to good governance. With a life full of tension one cannot achieve anything, especially when you have to run the nation, he told bureaucrats at a Civil Services Day event. He also advised bureaucrats “not to live like robots” and to spend quality time with their families.

Drawing a distinction between political interference and intervention, he said while the former will “destroy” the system, the latter is “necessary” and “inevitable”.

Addressing civil servants, the PM said the bureaucratic temperament and political interference were often talked about as obstacles in moving the democratic process forward. “In a democracy, bureaucracy and political intervention go hand in hand.

This is the speciality of democracy. If we have to run this country, we do not require political interference. But political intervention is necessary and inevitable, otherwise democracy will not work... Political intervention is required in democracy as legislators are elected by the people. Political interference destroys (the system),” Mr Modi said.

He also suggested there was a need to remove words like “obstacle” and “difficulty” from within the bureaucratic system.