Uttar Pradesh Speaker Demands Strict Action Against Officials Ignoring MLA Calls
In a significant development in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Speaker Satish Mahana has issued a stern directive to the state government, urging immediate action against officers and bureaucrats who fail to follow proper protocol by not returning calls from legislators. The ruling came during Wednesday's session following a point of order raised by opposition members.
Speaker's Strong Directive on Protocol Violations
Speaker Mahana emphasized through Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna that the persistent reluctance of officials to adhere to established protocols, despite multiple government orders, constitutes a clear violation of service rules. The speaker demanded that the government ensure appropriate disciplinary measures and set a stringent example to prevent such behavior from recurring in the future.
"The government should ensure desired action in the matter and present a stringent example so that such deeds by the officials are not repeated," Mahana stated firmly during the proceedings.
Opposition Raises Concerns About Executive Overreach
The issue was initially raised on Tuesday by Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey along with other Samajwadi Party members under Rule-300. Pandey argued that the executive branch was improperly interfering in the domains of both the judiciary and legislature.
"Legislature, judiciary and executive have their own ambit and none has the right to interfere in other's domain," Pandey asserted. "However, currently the executive is dominating even the legislature and at places even affecting the judiciary."
Pandey specifically highlighted that directives issued from the legislative assembly are not being implemented by the executive, which he described as highly objectionable. He further noted that officers were showing disrespect to MLAs by consistently failing to answer their phone calls.
Samajwadi Party Members Echo Concerns
Several SP members supported Pandey's concerns during the discussion. Chief Whip Kamaal Akhtar and senior party leader Sangram Yadav emphasized that legislators come to the assembly to work for the common people, not for personal matters.
"If officials are busy with some work, it is their responsibility to contact the MLAs once they are free," they argued. They also pointed out that on numerous occasions, even judicial directives are not properly implemented by officials.
SP member Ragini Sonkar suggested a practical solution, noting that "even if the officials are busy they can inform the MLAs through WhatsApp, but most of them don't do so."
Government Response and Counterarguments
In response to the opposition's concerns, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna rejected the allegation that the executive was dominating the legislature, calling it baseless. Khanna acknowledged that officials should answer calls and return them if busy, while also noting that the same government has previously punished officials for dereliction of duty.
Social Welfare Minister Asim Arun, a former IPS officer, offered a more nuanced perspective. He suggested that officials might miss calls due to legitimate reasons like being busy, unwell, or on leave, but admitted that "some officials are lazy and their deeds are not in accordance with the service rule."
Arun proposed a practical solution: creating a separate contact number through which the UP Assembly could directly connect with officials who consistently fail to respond to MLA calls.
Speaker's Final Observations and Directive
Concluding the discussion, Speaker Mahana characterized the concerns raised by members as reflecting a serious pattern of non-cooperation from officials toward MLAs. He expressed disappointment that government orders issued periodically have not been properly implemented.
"We are representing the people of the country and officials should understand that public work is of utmost importance," Mahana emphasized. The speaker directed the government to thoroughly investigate MLA concerns and strictly deal with those violating government orders, reinforcing the critical relationship between elected representatives and administrative officials in serving the public interest.
