The Congress government in Karnataka has come under fire from the BJP and JD(S) for deputing IAS officers to receive various political leaders who arrived in Bengaluru to participate in the conclave of opposition parties on July 17 and 18 to formalise their alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The issue resulted in chaos in the Assembly, with Speaker U T Khader suspending 10 BJP MLAs until the end of the budget session for indiscipline. Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy was the first to raise the red flag when he took to social media to attack the government for “misusing” the bureaucratic machinery by deputing about 29 bureaucrats to act as liaison officers to leaders who were attending a private political meeting and not any official engagement of the government. Though several such political meetings are held in the state, visiting dignitaries are always received by party leaders and not by senior government officers, he contended.
The government, on the other hand, has taken the stand that officers were deputed only to welcome Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of other states, as per established protocol which is extended to State guests. Besides this, the government played no other role in the conference, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said. The Opposition has rejected this explanation, charging that protocol was extended even to lesser-known leaders who held no constitutional position and thus were not entitled to any official reception. While arguing that it was the responsibility of the government to treat guests with respect, Siddaramaiah pointed out that in the past, the BJP too had designated delegates attending the party’s executive committee meeting in Bengaluru as State guests.
It is true that as per rules, constitutional functionaries are entitled to a certain protocol even during their private visits. It is also true that private persons, such as, for instance, sports achievers or national and international award winners, are also sometimes treated as State guests and accorded due government courtesies though they may not hold any official position. However, deputing IAS officers to receive even virtually unknown leaders who were attending a purely political meeting is not acceptable. That the BJP or any other previous government had created such a precedent is no justification. It was incumbent on Chief Secretary Vandita Sharma to put her foot down and ensure that senior bureaucrats were not deputed on what may be described as “political duty”. The government has clearly erred, and it should ensure that such misuse of the official machinery does not become the norm. IAS officers have better things to do than wait on sundry politicians.