Friday, July 1, 2016

This needs to stop here and now.

1. The spat between MK Raghavan, the MP and Prashanth Nair, the Collector of Kozhikode has been going on in the social media over the past few days. It has reached unacceptable levels and if not checked/stopped now, I'm sure that it's gonna escalate to unacceptable levels! To make matters worse, the CPM has lent its support to the collector and it's pretty obvious that it's because the MP is from the Congress!!

How did it all begin?

2. (a) The MP and the Collector had differences over the widening of the Mananchira -
          Vellimadukunnu road prompting the former to remark that the collector was against
          development.
    (b) The collector dismisses two drivers, who're on temporary posting at the behest of the MP,
          on the reasons of having participated at election rallies.
    (c)  Last week, at the meeting called by the collector to review the usage of the MPLADS fund,
          the collector was absent. At the meeting, the MP expressed his displeasure at the frequent
          checks on his fund's utilisation and delays in according timely approvals to the projects under
          the scheme.
    (d)  The collector retorted that he wouldn't stand harassment of his officials and wonders as to
           why the jobs to be undertaken by certain contractors are being recommended.
    (e)  The MP, while denying the charge, counters through a letter asking the collector as to how
           many projects - through his fund - have been given administrative approvals. Not getting a
           reply to that letter he asks the collector to apologise failing which he'd be forced to file a
           defamation case.
    (f)  The collector's reply was to post a map of the neighbouring panchayat of 'Kunnamkulam'. It
          has a connotation from an old Malayalam film in which while an individual seeks an apology
          ('Maappu'), he's shown a map(Because a mallu pronunciation of map is 'maappu'!)

My take.

One's heard about the politician-bureaucrat nexus and how rules are bent to achieve the unthinkable that's a bane of every democracy. But a politician - bureaucrat stand off can only bring about an administrative logjam that would be detrimental to the interests of the people they serve. So, forgetting egos, both sides have to stop this unnecessary war of words after apologising to each other.

I've a question each for the protagonists viz.

     (a) For the MP.........Shouldn't maturity be shown while handling the bureaucrats and officialdom?
     (b) For the Collector......Since when has Facebook/social media become the panacea for sorting
                                            out administrative difficulties and would you've done this if the MP was
                                            from say, the CPM?


Tailpiece.

Social media should be left alone from official dealings as it has a wider audience and the provocations from various quarters would take the problem out of the concerned individuals.


     
           

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