After the marriage of Parvaty, the main female character of the novel ‘Devdas’ written by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, her father died and she came to the paternal house of Devdas, the main protagonist of the novel. She met with Devdas and talked on several topics. She at one stage told Devdas, “Promise me, you would leave the drinking habit.” In reply Devdas said he won’t do it as everyone can’t do everything. Parvaty said, “Anyone can do anything if they want.” Devdas replied, “Can you flee with me tonight?” Hearing the words of Devdas, Parvaty became speechless and said how a wife of someone else could flee with other. However, she pleaded Devdas once more to leave his drinking habit, but Devdas said, “There’s no result if someone make promise unwillingly. He might break the promise and people will mark him as a liar.”

The hypocrisy of the human world used to trouble legendary poet Mirza Ghalib. Ghalib used to drink high-quality liquor imported from France and tried to forget everything in his life. He wrote both from joy and pain he felt inside. Mirza Ghalib fell into financial crisis after spending for expensive liquor. He was summoned to court for debt. Ghalib was asked by the judge to refrain from drinking expensive foreign liquor. Ghalib said, “Expensive foreign wine opens my brain. You can't write without playing a foreigner. The mind does not clear.”

All struggles in life are complex. Ghalib's crisis was the luxury of drinking alcohol in his private life. He was a poet fell into debt. Liquor sellers sought him out for payment. The British took the wealth of his ancestors. They were not giving what he deserved in return. The people appointed by the British rulers used to collect rent. They took possession of the wealth starting from the Nawabs to Emperor of Delhi and forcefully collected tax on lands. Many were happy with the monthly allowance given to the Nawab families. Some accepted under duress. Ghalib protested it by suing, while many others remained silent. The British merchants did everything through their appointed servants. Many times there were allegations of corruption against them. Some had to face trial. Robert Clive is one of them. After returning home, Clive was accused of corruption. He did not properly deposit the collected taxes and the spoils of Murshidabad in the treasury.

East India Company, British rule left India in 1947. But the bureaucracy they left behind remains. The loopholes, irregularities, obstacles in human activities left by them remain in place. Bureaucracy creates roadblocks. Politicians avoided everything first to retain their power. Again, to protect own existence, they became strict in everything. Allegations were against everyone. A privileged class is formed in the society in emerging economies. They try to arrange everything according to themselves. In addition to rules, there is corruption and irregularity. Bangladesh is not out of it. Allegations also came in the countries like Malaysia and UAE. But there was strict rule of law there. There are no fences built by bureaucracy or politicians. A lot of things happen internally in a country with an emerging economy. But everything has a limit. Nature does not tolerate transgression. Then a complicated situation is created. What is happening in Bangladesh now is the result of excessive powers exerts by some bureaucrats and politicians.

A friend of ours said what was the need for the bureaucrats to take or make so much? Everything has a limit. If the limit is exceeded, the situation becomes dire. There is a ‘festival’ of corruption in some parts of Bangladesh. The matters of revenue department and the police are much talked-about now a day. Go to Rajuk and you won't be able to do anything peacefully. No one follows any rules in the land office. Forest department officials think they are the kings. The festival of theft is going on. Nothing matters! The King of the Forest was detained in the period after 1/112. The rest were at large. Everything stops again. The situation is as bad in the medical sector as it’s in forest department. It’s not exempt from irregularities occur in purchase. We see trade in the name of providing medical services. Few are detained among a thousand irregularity-makers like Robert Clive. The rest remain elusive.

One wanted to know who will do the work of pulling the reins of bureaucrats. Another said if politicians are strong, not many irregularities will happen. When cabinet politicians are weak, bureaucrats become reckless. Many times politicians depend on bureaucrats if they cannot solve their own crisis. Because of that, the government and the state are affected. Politicians are now busy with their own internal problems. How will they take care of everything else? The conflict in the family of one of the top leaders of Awami League is rampant. I was surprised to see many things during the upazila elections. A brother of this family is a national leader. The rest accepted everything for a long time. Now they seem to have it all. In the complex equation of politics, there is no self-interest. If the calculation of demand is not met, now the commotion starts on social media. Family quarrels spread from home to outside. When one brother calms down, the other enters the scene. They find joy if they find another brother is politically inferior. No one wants to understand that it is not possible to be the biggest leader in the same family. Someone has to make concessions, while someone has to steps forward.

The calculation of family politics is enhanced considerably in the political field. Leaders do not trust employees. Many bring their family members into the ranks of politicians. They want to give new identity to brothers, nephews, children, and other relatives and keep family members in party and government. The activists were surprised and disappointed observing this tendency. Despite that, they cannot leave the politics of ideology. Multifaceted conflicts in the field of the ruling party are increasing the complexity and creating problems. In recent times, the conflict between the parties has turned into murder. This would not have happened if there had been a true ideological politics. In past, in politics family meant the leaders and activists of the entire party. Now that practice does not exist. Everyone wants a fair share and just want to understand their own needs. No one wants to understand that were the activists were the family of Bangabandhu, and Bangabandhu made the country independent by relying on them. In the same way, Sheikh Hasina has been able to repeatedly come to power.

Political calculations are not always correct. Today's hard reality may turn to ashes tomorrow. Today's political friend may not exist tomorrow. Counting of coalitions and votes is different in every country. A political party has a strategy to stay in power. In that technique, the variation of polarization is created with time, everyone has a strategy of his own, whether he is a politician or a war-commander. They fight at the risk of life, but tomorrow they can become the apple of everyone's eyes. On the other hand, a small mistake can lead to heavy losses. Not just politicians, but bureaucrats’ becoming hyper-politicians never end well. There is no justification for politicians to give up on bureaucrats' over-enthusiasm. Let politics be reserved for politicians. Let the bureaucrats perform their duties so that the normal speed of the state remains intact. One day, a politician said that many bureaucrats had exerted too much power beyond their responsibilities in the last 10 years. There was no need of it. Some have tried to outdo politicians. Politicians pretend not to see the matter. In turn, a section of the bureaucracy was involved in terrible corruption. A Matiur was caught in a goat-scam. A Benzir is in danger. Those who were not detained yet are in tension.

No one knows when the cat in the bag will come out. My grandmother used to say, "Don't grow too big, you will fall; don't be too small, the goat will eat you up." No one is beyond accountability. If there is no accountability today, there is no reason to think that tomorrow will not come. After 2018, many government officials used to become intimate with the politicians. What was the need for this competition? The responsibilities of all the departments of the state are assigned separately. Judiciary, Law Department, Executive Department— if their duties are properly performed, there would be no problem anywhere. It is not so complicated. A top businessman said, if someone's mood suddenly increases, you have to realize that it’s difficult for him to bear the burden of extra power and money. This situation can’t go on. Once the son of land-lord Mani Singh came into politics for the welfare of people and he eventually finished his money in doing so. Now many people join politics in the race to make money. Everyone wants to make money. Others come to protect the money earned. Becoming a minister and growing your business! Leaving the secretariat inactive, he spends times in his own business. Why the bureaucrats will remain silent? They also get involved in business in the competitive market. They use their posts for business purposes and get held later by overdoing it.

The current government is taking action against corruption. No one else has dared to do it. This is positive. If Sheikh Hasina didn't want it, Benazir's corruption and assets wouldn't have been investigated. Action was not taken against others including Matiur. Sheikh Hasina always took strong stance against corruption. She does not let it go. Many ministers, MPs and bureaucrats were not spared during the tenure of her government.

When the complaint came, she took action. Everyone has to live on the hard reality of history. The ongoing anti-corruption campaign is another successful achievement of Sheikh Hasina's government. Sheikh Hasina proved that her zero tolerance against corruption is not just words but reality. There is no matter of self or other here. I’m concluding the write up with an analogy stated by Suranjit Sengupta. The late Suranjit Sengupta said, "If you catch a tiger, the tiger will let you go. But if Sheikh Hasina catches you, she won’t not spare you."

(The writer is the Editor of The Bangladesh Pratidin)