A minister who would be in office at 6am if a trade union called a transport strike. A minister who would physically visit flood-prone areas, speak to villagers and officials to draw up a plan.
Some bureaucrats who worked with Suvendu Adhikari said he was an effective, hardworking, dynamic and successful minister.
Suvendu served as the transport, irrigation and waterways, and environment minister in the Mamata Banerjee government from 2016 until he joined the BJP in 2020.
Several bureaucrats said Suvendu used to give his officials a lot of freedom to make decisions. He was “polite” with them.
“He was a hands-on minister who dealt with problems head-on. If a transport union called a strike, he would reach the office by 6am to ensure buses were on the roads,” said a senior official who worked with Suvendu in the transport department.
“During his time, the department had purchased many buses, increasing public transport options for people,” he added.
“Suvendu did what many ministers did not do. As irrigation and waterways minister, he would himself go around flood-prone areas for preparations and speak to local public representatives like zilla parishad members for a first-hand understanding of the problem,” said Naveen Prakash, retired IAS officer who was the additional chief secretary in the irrigation and waterways department in 2019.
“I don’t think many ministers of the department had done so earlier,” he said.
“Based on the physical visits and discussions, he had drawn up plans to mitigate the flood-related issues,” said Prakash.
“I had a very good time working under him. There was not a single occasion when he would raise his voice while speaking to officials. We found him extremely polite and courteous,” said Prakash.
Prakash remembered Suvendu as a sharp man who could grasp a subject fast. “Although new to the department, he quickly picked up issues,” he said.
At that time, Suvendu was also in charge of the transport department and had other political responsibilities. “Despite that, he would give full attention to the department,” said Prakash.
Suvendu was quick in disposing of files, according to many officials who worked with him.
“He would never hold on to files and clear those very quickly. He was available over the phone at any time of the day, if we needed any advice,” an official said.
Suvendu also had a habit that helped shape the leader he is today: he continued meeting large numbers of ordinary people even while in power, said officials.