Samikhsya Bureau
Better late than never. Civility in politics is the main topic leading to a kind of tutorial class for the MLAs taken by the chief minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday. In which the moot theme was to create an atmosphere where the elected members’ pre and post poll conduct is required to be complimentary to each other.
Going by media reports the chief minister invited all the elected members of the legislative assembly for a get-together over breakfast and used the occasion to caution the members how to behave in public.
There has been occasions when elected members have been found over-stepping their limits in their dispositions towards the people and government officials. And the most recent incident that has apparently set the ball rolling, was the one in Patnagarh , in Balangir, where the Biju Janata Dal MLA, Saroj Meher took the law into his hands. Meher forced a government official to do sit-ups in public and get slapped by his senior officer.
The case of Saroj Meher can’t be seen in isolation. There have been slew of such incidents elsewhere as well. The one that stands out was in Madhya Pradesh where a BJP legislator, Akash Vijayvargiya was found beating government officials on duty with a cricket bat. An incident which not only invited unequivocal condemnation but it has upset the Prime Minister Narendra Modi who disapproved such conduct and also felt that, such unruly politicians are always dispensable in politics.
Now, there is nationwide concern over the frequent abnormal behaviors shown by people’s representatives in many parts of the country.
Power or arrogance, but no political leader should drag himself or herself to a situation where they look like individuals unaccustomed to power and thus, either abuse it or get corrupted by it.
As regards the Odisha chief minister, who has always made himself an example of good behavior and disposition in public life, has a reason to be concerned about the decline in the conduct of political leaders.
