Malappuram (Kerala), Jun 3 (PTI) IUML leader and Kondotty MLA T P Ashraf Ali has come under criticism on social media after a video shared on his official Facebook page showed him allegedly occupying the chair of an officer and holding a meeting at the local RTO office, with some netizens alleging violation of official protocol.
The video, posted by the MLA on Tuesday, showed officials lined up to salute and welcome him with a bouquet upon his arrival at the Joint Regional Transport Office (RTO) office at Kondotty here.
It also depicts Ali seated in the main chair purportedly used by the head of the office while holding a meeting with RTO officials seated around him. The entire visuals were accompanied by Tamil movie dialogues.
The visuals triggered criticism in the comments section, with several social media users claiming that elected representatives should not occupy the official seat of a government officer.
“That’s an officer’s seat.. This is not the set of ‘Thalapathi’ movie!” a netizen commented while another user said, “he still doesn’t know what the position is… Political maturity is all about… Shown through this creativity video”.
There are some concessions that people’s representatives follow when visiting government offices, a social media user reminded the MLA through his post.
“Leave the office head’s chair for the officer concerned. Make some other arrangement for guests. That is the proper practice,” one user commented.
Another commenter questioned the propriety of the arrangement, saying, “What right does an MLA have to interfere in the executive’s domain? At the same time, several users defended the MLA, arguing that the visit was intended to address public grievances and improve services at the office.
In the post accompanying the video, Ali said the Kondotty Joint RTO was among the busiest such offices in Kerala in terms of vehicle registrations and licence applications, but was functioning with inadequate staff strength.
He alleged that the shortage of officials had caused hardship to the public, forcing many applicants to approach offices in other districts and states for services such as driving licences.
The MLA further claimed that the issue was resulting in revenue loss to the state and assured that the UDF government would address the shortcomings and bring relief to the public.
There was no immediate response from the Motor Vehicles Department or the MLA regarding the criticism raised on social media. PTI LGK KH
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