New Delhi, Apr 1 (PTI) Samajwadi Party MP Javed Ali Khan on Wednesday alleged in Rajya Sabha that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh was systematically excluding Opposition MPs from official events and functions related to scheme launches, in violation of the Centre’s guidelines that require elected representatives of a region to be invited on such occasions.
Raising the matter during Zero Hour, Khan said that despite clear directives under the warrant of precedence, SP members were being left out while BJP functionaries participated.
Khan cited several instances. He said that when Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the district collectorate office in Sambhal, a constituency that sends four elected members, three of whom belong to the Samajwadi Party, not a single SP legislator was invited.
In Moradabad, he said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated an airport that remains non-functional, without inviting five of the six sitting Samajwadi Party MPs from the division.
He further stated that in Kasganj, a neighbouring district, SP’s Members of Parliament and MLAs were also excluded. In Prayagraj, when the prime minister launched projects worth Rs 5,500 crore, no Opposition MP was invited, Khan said.
The SP member also recounted a personal experience involving Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Veerendra Kumar, who attended a government programme in Khan’s own district.
“I called him and told him that neither I nor my MLA had been invited. He said he would look into it. Even after that, I was not invited,” Khan told the House.
Questioning whether the decision to exclude Opposition MPs was being taken with the knowledge of the prime minister and the chief minister, or by what he described as “sycophantic bureaucrats trying to please their political masters”, Khan demanded accountability.
He also warned that if the government intended to make such exclusions as policy, it should formally amend the DoPT (Department of Personnel & Training) guidelines rather than selectively disregard them.
“It is not a crime to be in opposition,” he said. “The honour of MPs and MLAs must be protected.” PTI LUX HVA
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