No ‘Low-Level Officer’ Has Right To Play Role Of Elected Leader, Says Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi

Bhubaneswar: Firing another salvo at BJD government in Odisha, senior BJP leader and Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi on Saturday said if an elected leader is unable to move to meet people on health grounds, he should step down from the post instead of sending his private secretary to do his work.

Addressing the BJP workers at a booth-level meeting at Malipada in Khurda, Sarangi said, “An elected leader is answerable to his voters. It is his responsibility to solve the problems and listen to the grievances of the electorate. If the leader commits any mistake, the voters have every right to question and challenge him in our democratic system.”

“But it is found that neither chief minister nor ministers and not even the chief secretary is meeting the people. If a low-level officer assumes this responsibility bypassing all the higher officials and elected representatives, it needs to be condemned by the people with a strong voice,” she added.

Stating that as an elected MP, she is answerable to the people of her constituency, she said, “If any voter demands to know my contribution to my constituency during the last 4 years, I have to give an explanation to him. I will not tell my private secretary to meet my voters and resolve their problems.”

“The MPs and MLAs are not visible and the Chief Minister is under house arrest,” she alleged, stepping up her attack on the ruling dispensation. She didn’t name any officer but reiterated that a secretary-level officer cannot announce government decisions standing alone on the stage. “What is wrong is wrong. Elected representatives only can do it,” she pointed out.

She further said if any political leader is unable to do his duty of public service due to health problems, he should step down in an honourable manner and let others take over.

Earlier, the firebrand MP had triggered a political debate in the state by alleging that a secretary level officer had ‘hijacked’ the entire governance in Odisha while elected representatives, including MLAs, MPs and ministers were acting as silent spectators.