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Guhla MLA and SDM spat issue: Haryana Speaker pulls up chief secy, asks him to instruct officers to maintain decorum
This comes a day after Congress MLA from Guhla Devender Hans and four others were booked by the Kaithal police for allegedly attempting to hand over a “rattle toy” to Guhla SDM Pramesh Singh during a protest, state legislative assembly.
Police needs Vidhan Sabha Speaker's permission to call the MLA for questioning and joining the investigation. (Express File Photo)
Haryana Assembly Speaker Harvinder Kalyan on Tuesday held a meeting with chief secretary Anurag Rastogi and pulled him up over complaints received from MLAs alleging that “some government officials have not shown satisfactory and expected courteous behaviour towards elected representatives.”
This comes a day after Congress MLA from Guhla Devender Hans and four others were booked by the Kaithal police for allegedly attempting to hand over a “rattle toy” to Guhla SDM Pramesh Singh during a protest, state legislative assembly.
A statement issued by the Vidhan Sabha secretariat mentioned, “The Speaker instructed the chief secretary that full compliance with prescribed procedures, decorum, and mutual respect must be ensured while dealing with public representatives in official matters. He said that the guidelines issued by the Centre regarding official conduct between administration and legislators clearly expect officials to behave politely, promptly, and responsibly towards elected representatives. Letters, suggestions, and references from MLAs must be addressed with priority according to rules, and the communication process should be transparent and respectful.”
During the meeting, Rastogi also informed the Speaker about instances where some MLAs allegedly used undemocratic language towards administrative officials.
In response, Kalyan noted that the Privileges Committee report of the Lok Sabha also establishes standards of ethical conduct for public representatives. “According to these standards, representatives should avoid unnecessary interference in administrative work and must maintain dignity and integrity in public life while respecting rules and procedures”, the Speaker told Chief Secretary.
Kalyan added that “for the strength of the democratic system, both the administration and elected representatives must fulfill their respective duties with decorum and accountability. Both have mutually important roles and are integral parts of the democratic setup”.
It is learnt that Rastogi assured Kalyan that “appropriate action in this regard shall be taken and all officials would be issued necessary instructions to ensure respectful and rule-compliant behavior towards legislators and to prevent the recurrence of such complaints in the future”.
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Though the incident of Guhla MLA and SDM’s spat dates back to January 19. Earlier the police had found the SDM’s complaint against the MLA as of non-cognisable nature and approached the court for seeking permission to conduct a detailed investigation. However, on Monday after court’s permission, the police conducted the inquiry and found prima-facie evidence after which a case was registered against Hans and his four associates under Sections 126 (2), 221, 351 (2) and 352 of BNS Act.
Police needs Vidhan Sabha Speaker’s permission to call the MLA for questioning and joining the investigation. The incident took place on January 19 at the Cheeka BDPO office, where MLA Hans, along with Congress workers and local residents, was protesting against the alleged encroachment on government land. During the protest, the MLA attempted to hand over a toy to the SDM, which was captured on video and subsequently went viral on social media.
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