Bhubaneswar: The Rajya Sabha Secretariat has issued a privilege notice to Cuttack District Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde for allegedly not inviting Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Debashish Samanataray to Netaji Jayanti celebrations on January 23.
Sources said the notice was served through the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions following a formal complaint lodged by the BJD MP along with other party parliamentarians.
The dispute arose over the invitation process for the January 23 Netaji Jayanti event in Cuttack. BJD MPs alleged that the Collector failed to extend proper invitations to elected representatives, thereby undermining parliamentary privilege.
The MPs submitted a written complaint to the Rajya Sabha Chairman, which prompted the Secretariat to take cognisance and issue the notice. Debashish has alleged that all key dignitaries were extended invitations except him. Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan was the chief guest at the event.
The MP had also raised this issue in Rajya Sabha on February 3 and said on the floor of the house, “There was a Lok Sabha MP present. There were all the local MLAs from the BJD, Congress and BJP.
This is an insult to the privilege of this House. You, sir, should protect this House from the insult meted out to it and to its members,” demanding that a privilege notice be issued to the Cuttack Collector.
The privilege notice now requires Collector Shinde to respond to the allegations and clarify his role in the matter.
Dismissing the allegation made by the BJD leader, sources in the Collector’s office said the MP was invited via email but he does not consider it a proper form of invitation.
