BJP MP demands complaint redressal mechanism

In an embarrassing situation for the government, a ruling party member on Friday sought a mechanism for redressal of public grievances of parliamentarians, saying their concerns were not being properly addressed by the NDA ministers.

The issue, raised by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from North-West Delhi, Udit Raj, in the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour found support from his own party members and the opposition.

"Since January this year, I have written as many as 1,940 letters to the ministers, but they rarely respond. Even if they respond, replies are not satisfactory," he said.

Expressing his anguish, the Dalit member also said that most of the replies were in the negative.

"Our position has been so pathetic that even if we get replies of 500-600 letters, only four-five are positive. It was better when i was not an MP," Raj said.

Sharing his experience, the BJP member said: "In 1996, when I was posted as additional commissioner in the income tax department, I was transferred only on the recommendation of an MP. Now the situation is such that we are not even able to transfer a clerk."

He demanded from the government that a mechanism must be developed to address MPs' concerns.

Most of the members, irrespective of party affiliation, supported Raj's demand by thumping of their desks.

However, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said there was already a complaint redressal mechanism for the members in parliament and suggested that he take recourse to it.

--IANS

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