Congress calls CLP meet to discuss disrespect to MLA

Monday, 22/09/2014

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Chandigarh : Punjab Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Sunil Jakhar has called the meeting of CLP in Chandigarh on Tuesday to discuss the issue of alleged disrespect shown to Congress MLA from Fatehgarh Sahib Kuljit Singh Nagra by an officer of the Punjab government.

Disclosing this, here on Sunday, Jakhar said after the meeting, the delegation of party MLAs will meet the Vidhan Sabha Speaker on this issue.

“Most of the MLAs are of the view that the SDM of Fatehgarh Sahib has overstepped limits of protocol and has insulted the institution of MLA and has shown utter disrespect to elected representative. Instead of accepting the wrong committed, the officer is twisting the facts to escape reprimand. The issue will be discussed in the light of Punjab Civil Service Conduct Rules and the Speaker will be apprised of all facts related to the issue,” Jakhar said.

He said the other issues, which were also likely to be discussed were alleged diversion of Central funds for day-to-day operations of the state, non-payment of salaries to employees, non-fulfilment of election promises on employment dole, shagun schemes, old-age pension schemes. “We would seek white paper on state’s economy,” the CLP leader revealed.

He added the Congress MLAs will also discuss their strategy for upcoming civic polls in the state. Meanwhile, Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Captain Amarinder Singh asked Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal ‘not to set wrong precedents by belittling the institution of an MLA, who happens to be an elected representative of the people and comes above the Chief Secretary in the standard government protocol.’

“Or is it that you have been bullied by some officers to mark such inquiry as you often cry hoarse that they gang up together to defend their erring colleagues,” he asked Badal, while stating, otherwise by marking an inquiry against an MLA to a Commissioner level officer, Badal was ‘undermining the standard protocol that places an MLA above the Chief Secretary.’

In a statement issued, here, former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh expressed surprise as what was the need to mark the inquiry to the Commissioner when the Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha was already seized of the matter and had summoned everybody involved in the case on September 24. “You have not only tried to belittle the institution of an MLA, but also tried to undermine the constitutional authority of the Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha,” he told the Chief Minister.

“Are you not the same Chief Minister who said only a few months ago that it was difficult to take any action against any of the erring officers as all of them gang up together to defend their colleagues?”

Capt Amarinder reminded the Chief Minister, asking, “Should I conclude that they have ganged up and bullied you down to mark any inquiry to the Commissioner against an elected representative and forcing you to breach the protocol?”

However, he clarified, “Having said that, I am of the firm belief and opinion that not all the officers are like what you were trying to project them and there are so many outstanding and upright officers who can never play second fiddle to you.”

He asserted, “It is not the issue of a Congress MLA, but about the elected representatives of the people who may belong to any party”.

He said only the Speaker can inquire into the matter and he was already on the job.

“By assigning a parallel inquiry to the Commissioner, Badal has apparently betrayed his lack of faith in the constitutional authority of the Speaker,” he said, adding, besides the Speaker, there was a Privilege Committee of the House to which such matters can be referred, but not to an official, who was far too junior in protocol to an MLA.