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| RS Privilege Committee protects Ratanpuri, who would protect privilege of common man? | | | Early Times Report
new delhi, Feb 2: In the first ever incident of its kind in the State, chief secretary Madhav Lal, Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda, and SP Pulwama have appeared before the Privilege Committee of Rajya Sabha in connection with a complaint filed by the South Kashmir Rajya Sabha Member Parliament Ghulam Nabi Ratanpuri.
As the member of the Rajya Sabha Ratanpuri enjoys certain privileges those are not available to the common man in the State. Mr. Ratanpuri is not the first to suffer humiliation at the hands of the police, he definitely would not be the last. While it is appreciable that the Privileges Committee of the upper house of Parliament took cognizance of the member's complaint and summoned the senior most civil and police officers of the State, the mute question still remains unanswered as to where does the common citizen go under similar circumstances?
This question is more pertinent for the members of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha to ponder on. Who would hold the Privileges for an ordinary citizen who suffers humiliation, disrespect, foul language and even physical assault at the hands of the police in the State? Unless we are able to ensure that the behavior of the police changes while they deal with law abiding citizens, what has been done by Mr. Ratanpuri or the Privileges Committee of the Rajya Sabha would remain a largely academic exercise.
Ratanpuri had filed a written complaint with Chairman of Rajya Sabha Hamid Ansari that SP Pulwama Amit Kumar had misbehaved with him on 26th July, 2011.
The Chairman had referred the complaint to the Chairman of Privilege Committee of Rajya Sabha.
According to sources, the Privilege Committee headed by Deputy Chairman K Rehman Khan, had sent notices to the Chief Secretary, DGP, and SP Pulwama for the appearance in person on 16th January. But, according to the sources, the Privilege Committee was apprised that appearance was difficult because they were busy for the Republic Day arrangements.
It is notable that relations between National Conference and its MP Ratanpuri have not been cordial. A political observer who didn't want to be named alleged that "misbehaviour with MP in Pulwama had the backing of NC's top brass because Ratanpuri had been targeting Omar Abdullah's aides, particularly Devender Rana and Mubarak Gul".
Commenting on Ratanpuri's recent allegation that the Chief Minister's aides were creating disenchantment in the party, infuriated Mubarak Gul had said that the Rajya Sabha member had lost his mental balance.
"It is unfortunate that Ratanpuri who was till the other day a small time broadcaster could not come to terms with his elevation to the Rajya Sabha and failed to perform his duties as an MP. He has lost his balance and is making absurd, frivolous baseless statements which are figment of his imagination and are bereft of facts," Gul had said in a statement.
Gul said a failed rootless politician like Ratanpuri should not comment upon the performance of other political entities. "It is Ratanpuri who is disgruntled and not the party. He is not been able to create any base for himself in Pulwama district which he represents despite being an MP for over two years," he said.
Ratanpuri had been targeting Chief Minister's Political Advisor Devender Rana too.
Addressing the gathering during an official function at Pampore in last December, Ratanpuri had said, "NC was a movement and no Ranas were the part of that. No Rana, Maharana, Maharaja or Nawab was part of the movement that we call National Conference."
The bitterness between vocal Ratanpuri and Chief Minister's political advisor Devender Rana had become public a couple of years back when the MP had criticized the functioning of Rana before a select group of Delhi journalists.
The bickering between Mr. Ratanpuri and his former mentors in the National Conference notwithstanding there is need for a larger discourse on the behavior of the state police with the common citizens in the state.
Nobody must forget the basic constitutional fact that members of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha are representatives of the common man and they hold Privileges and other constitutional protections at the pleasure of the people who elect them. Unless the honour and privilege of the common citizen is protected, it is immaterial whether or not a Rajya Sabha member has succeeded in avenging his insult by summoning the senior most civil and police officers before the Privileges Committee of the Rajya Sabha. |
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