Home ministry official to face House panel

A joint secretary with the Home Ministry will have to face a parliamentary committee for allegedly misbehaving with an MP. A BJP MP from the Andaman and Nicobar islands, Bishnu Pada Ray had lodged a complaint with Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar against K K Pathak, joint secretary (UT).

In a complaint, Ray alleged that he had gone to Pathak’s North Block office on May 9 and was initially denied entry into the office on instructions from Pathak. After he managed to enter the office, Ray found that Pathak was not keen on replying to his queries on revision of state bus conductors’ pay scale and compensation for farmers who lost their lands in the Tsunami.

“I then requested him for a piece of paper to write down the information sought from him. At this point, he asked me to leave his office,” Ray alleged, adding that Pathak even pushed him out of the room. Humiliated, Ray lodged a complaint with the Lok Sabha Speaker on May 9, seeking action against Pathak for breaching the privileges enjoyed by Parliamentarians.
Ray had also raised the issue during Zero Hour. Kumar took cognizance of the issue and said she was herself miffed at the treatment meted out to the MP. Ministry sources said the Lok Sabha had sought a response from the official. Pathak said despite Ray not making prior appointment, he gave the MP all the information he had asked for.

When approached by Deccan Herald, Ray confirmed that he had lodged a complaint against Pathak. The MP maintained that the joint secretary’s reply to the complaint was incorrect and insisted that action be taken against him.

However, he was not aware that his complaint has been forwarded to the committee on violation of protocol norms and contemptuous behaviour of government officers with members of the Lok Sabha.