BHUBANESWAR: Chief minister Mohan Majhi on Friday asked bureaucrats to ensure public representatives get due respect while sharing his own ordeal of being misbehaved by a police inspector just a month before taking over as CM and President Droupadi Murmu being ignored by a collector when she was a minister in Odisha.
Stating that it may be painful for some officers if he cites an example, Majhi said a Union cabinet minister had visited his home district Keonjhar along with a state minster once. “The district collector greeted the Union minister warmly but chose to ignore the state minister. I was an MLA then. He later said he did not know she was a minister but did not regret for his behaviour. That minister who was ignored then is today the first citizen of India, President Droupadi Murmu,” he said but did not name the then Union minister or the collector.
Murmu was a minister in the BJP-BJD coalition govt led by Naveen Patnaik from 2000 to 2004.
Majhi said there is a protocol specified in Book Circular 47 that public representatives, whether a ward member or a zilla parishad member, an MLA or MP, whenever they are going to officers, with or without prior information, they must get respect. “There are many examples of they not getting proper respect as per rules. They are not even offered a chair. This must stop. I have my personal experience as an MLA of block development officers not standing up from their chair,” he said.
Sharing his own recent ordeal, the CM said, “You may not believe about this incident just three months ago when campaigning for the election was on.”
He said he had gone to a police station for a possible solution after some people had blocked road over drinking water shortage. “I was an MLA and a contestant also. When I was trying to resolve, the inspector in-charge was agitated and asked me to get out of the police station,” he said, adding “Three months later, I am CM and also minister in-charge of the home department. I forgave him because he must have acted under pressure from someone.”
Majhi said whenever a common man enters a police station, she or he should get some respect. Police should ask them the reasons behind visit to the police station. They should be assured that their problems would be resolved, he said.
Stating that it may be painful for some officers if he cites an example, Majhi said a Union cabinet minister had visited his home district Keonjhar along with a state minster once. “The district collector greeted the Union minister warmly but chose to ignore the state minister. I was an MLA then. He later said he did not know she was a minister but did not regret for his behaviour. That minister who was ignored then is today the first citizen of India, President Droupadi Murmu,” he said but did not name the then Union minister or the collector.
Murmu was a minister in the BJP-BJD coalition govt led by Naveen Patnaik from 2000 to 2004.
Majhi said there is a protocol specified in Book Circular 47 that public representatives, whether a ward member or a zilla parishad member, an MLA or MP, whenever they are going to officers, with or without prior information, they must get respect. “There are many examples of they not getting proper respect as per rules. They are not even offered a chair. This must stop. I have my personal experience as an MLA of block development officers not standing up from their chair,” he said.
Sharing his own recent ordeal, the CM said, “You may not believe about this incident just three months ago when campaigning for the election was on.”
He said he had gone to a police station for a possible solution after some people had blocked road over drinking water shortage. “I was an MLA and a contestant also. When I was trying to resolve, the inspector in-charge was agitated and asked me to get out of the police station,” he said, adding “Three months later, I am CM and also minister in-charge of the home department. I forgave him because he must have acted under pressure from someone.”
Majhi said whenever a common man enters a police station, she or he should get some respect. Police should ask them the reasons behind visit to the police station. They should be assured that their problems would be resolved, he said.
