What PM Modi and Arvind Kejriwal Told Bureaucrats Sharply Differed

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said he had "never been disappointed" with bureaucrats and always tried to see the best in them, provoking instant comparison with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who had warned two days ago - "work with us or quit and face us in polls".

Addressing a gathering of officials at an event to mark Civil Services Day, the prime minister said: "I have never had to raise my voice to a bureaucrat. I never had a bitter experience with a bureaucrat."

PM Modi's tenor was strikingly different from that of Mr Kejriwal, a former bureaucrat who joined politics in 2012.

At a similar event on Tuesday, the Chief Minister seized the chance to send out a stern message.

"We can tolerate anything but we will not tolerate politics. If you are interested in politics, then resign, contest elections and confront us," he said in what was widely interpreted as a warning.

"People are happy with our government. Like it or not, but we are here for 10-15 years. Those officers who are above 45, we are your only option," Mr Kejriwal pressed on.

He also cautioned bureaucrats against any politics with elected representatives, saying: "We know how to deal with such bureaucrats."

PM Modi is known to trust top bureaucrats with the stewardship of his flagship schemes and policies.

In contrast, Mr Kejriwal, a former taxman, has been struggling to get along with the bureaucracy, mainly because of his Aam Aadmi Party's constant tussle with the Centre over the control of key departments in Delhi.

In December, some 200 officers went on a day's mass leave in solidarity with two of their colleagues suspended for "insubordination" after they followed the Centre's orders.

Alleging a conspiracy in the strike, timed just before the odd-even trial, Mr Kejriwal called the officers "full-fledged B-teams of the BJP".