TSR Subramanian witnessed one of the most stormy phases in Indian politics, yet did not sway with changing regimes.
Former cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian, who passed away on Monday at the age of 79 leaves behind a legacy of excellence, uprightness, and honesty.
He was hailed as an officer par excellence, by both colleagues and political heads. Known for his stellar work in bringing key civil reforms that shielded the bureaucracy from political interference, TSR Subramanian witnessed one of the most stormy phases in Indian politics, yet did not sway with changing regimes. He served as the cabinet secretary in the 90s — a time when coalition governments were shaping up and the country's rein changed three different hands — from HD Deve Gowda to IK Gujral and then to Atal Behari Vajpayee.
It was this uprightness and honesty that made him stand out among his peers, long after he was superannuated. His tongue was as razor sharp as his mind, lending him the rare ability of not mincing words even in front of political honchos.
TSR, as he was addressed famously, did not shy away from expressing his displeasure towards increasing meddling by the legislature into administrative affairs. Fiercely protective of his fiefdom, he doggedly pursued a case (TSR and ORS vs UOI case in Supreme Court) that sought freeing the bureaucracy from political dominance.
As said in one of his interviews, he wanted to put an end to the "culture of midnight transfers". TSR is credited with setting up Civil Service Boards in states that has top officers and the Chief Minister as its members. The SC also ordered states to fix the tenure of IAS officers as an objective to nip their fear of sudden transfers to punishment postings if they failed to please the leadership.
He, however, felt that the judiciary could have done more to provide immunity to the executive from political whims. The 1961-batch officer from UP cadre had run-ins with state heads for being outspoken and scrupulous. The bureaucratic circle is rife with legendary tales of his tumultuous relationship with then UP CM Mulayam Singh Yadav, when he was the chief secretary.
TSR leaves behind an illustrious legacy — one that encompasses developmental reforms for power, telecom and surface transport sectors. His contribution to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) is still referred to in glowing terms. His work also spanned developed as well as developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. An outstanding professional record, however, was marred with one major regret that TSR had, and confessed to. As textile secretary, he cleared decks for genetically modified cotton (BT Cotton), a decision he openly lamented.
The fire brand former top babu routinely contributed as a columnist for DNA. In his last column to the publication dated January 11, 2018, TSR asserted the emerging need to usher in new polities before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, that bouyed voters' confidence in their country and government.
With his demise, Indian bureaucracy has lost a rare breed of officer, who are defined as principled, conscientious, and who insulate themselves and their bretheren from political intrusion.
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 "TSR Subramanian")
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