Bhopal: Incidents of family members and supporters of ministers and MLAs of allies abusing government officials in Madhya Pradesh have put the Congress dispensation in a spot, even as police swung into action and lodged cases against the accused.
Employees of Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) had reached the Residency area on Tuesday to remove posters and banners put up to greet Health Minister Tulsi Silawat on his birthday.
However, supporters of the minister, including his nephews, after a heated argument corporation’s Deputy Commissioner, Mahendra Singh Chauhan, assaulted the civic staff with sticks.
The incident happened only days after Chief Minister Nath issued an order against putting up banners and posters at public places. Initially, police feigned ignorance about the incident and the IMC officer present on the spot declined to identify the attackers.
However, mayor and local BJP MLA Malini Gaud ordered the IMC commissioner to lodge a police complaint following which Silawat’s two nephews — Chandu and Rahul Silawat — and two others were booked in connection with the assault on the IMC staff.
Justifying the civic body’s move to remove the posters, Silawat urged party workers not to put up publicity material on birthdays of any leaders and instead spend the amount on development of slums.
Soon after, Nath posted a tweet on his official handle saying that he has issued clear directions that posters and banners should be removed even if they carry his photograph. Illegal hoardings, banners and posters deface the beauty of the state, he added.
Meanwhile, a case has been registered against the nephew of Madhya Pradesh Animal Husbandry Minister Lakhan Singh Yadav for allegedly threatening a government official over phone, police said on Wednesday.
Sanjay Yadav, the minister's nephew who is also general secretary of Youth Congress, claimed that it was the government official who used “provocative” language.
Vijaypur Janpad panchayat Chief Executive Officer Joshua Peter has lodged a complaint that Sanjay Yadav and his associate Ankit Mudagal threatened him over phone on Tuesday over resumption of a work in the panchayat area.
"A case was registered under IPC section 507 (criminal intimidation) against Sanjay Yadav and Ankit Mudagal. Investigation is underway," said DS Parmar, Vijaypur police station in-charge.
"Sanjay, who introduced himself as the nephew of Lakhan Yadav, minister in-charge (of Sheopur district), threatened and abused me in a bid to put pressure on me for doing the wrong work," Peter told reporters.
"Ankit also abused me over phone. I cannot work by going against the rules. So I have sought protection from police and complained against Yadav and Mudagal," he said.
Reacting to the incident, his minister uncle said Sanjay is a responsible leader of Youth Congress and claimed that the government officer must have done something unusual that resulted in the unwanted situation. “I would speak to my nephew over the matter,” he added.
Sanjay said he had only called Peter from Gwalior when some residents of Benipura village in Sheopur district approached him for work related to a check dam. "I requested him to hear the plea of villagers. I was speaking in local dialect. But instead of hearing me he provoked me saying you don't know how to talk," Yadav said.
Another video of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Ram Bai allegedly abusing an official for not releasing funds sanctioned by her has gone viral.
In the clip, the MLA can be seen barging into the office of Damoh District Treasury Officer (DTO) Vivek Gharu and abusing him for not releasing the funds construction of a road in a village panchayat in Damoh district.
The MLA had sanctioned the money for the project from her MLA fund. She purportedly told the officer to seek transfer if he didn't want to work in the district. The MLA also alleged the officer was demanding money for clearing the bill.
Sources said, Ram Bai had sanctioned funds for development of a road in a village panchayat and the proposal (bill) after clearance from the district planning committee and collector reached the district treasury office. However, it seems the MLA lost her cool when the proposal failed to get clearance.
Ram Bai said, "I have allocated funds for development in a gram panchayat. The bill went to the treasury for clearance after the approval of district planning committee and collector." The MLA claimed as the treasury officer was not releasing funds for want of a bribe, she went to the treasury office to get it released.
Meanwhile, Gharu said the treasury office receives all bills online. "In case of any discrepancy in any bill, it is returned online," he added.
"Under a provision no bill can be held for more than three days. But the MLA was in no mood to listen and continued to misbehave with me in my office," the officer said, adding that he had complained to the district collector.
BJP spokesperson Umesh Sharma said MLAs and ministers of the ruling camp have started treating the government as their private limited company and now their kin were threatening government officials.
“The Congress leadership must not forget that power is a means to serve the public and if they try to unleash terror, public won’t spend much time in showing them their actual worth,” said the leader.
(With inputs from PTI)
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