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BJP MLA sends resignation to speaker during protest to get FIR registered; regrets move later
Brijbihari Pateria expressed regret over his decision to send his resignation after the authorities shunted out Kesali town inspector Ajay Kumar
BHOPAL/SAGAR: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Brijbihari Pateria on Thursday submitted his resignation from the Madhya Pradesh assembly but explained his move on Friday to anger over the reluctance of the local police to act against a doctor who allegedly asked for a bribe to issue a death certificate.
Deori MLA Pateria backed down after the authorities shunted out Kesali town inspector Ajay Kumar to the district police lines and a first information report (FIR) was registered against the doctor.
On his part, Pateria said he sent his resignation to the assembly speaker because he was angry. “Out of anger, I wrote a resignation letter but the chief minister and the entire party are with me. Now, I don’t have any issues,” he said,
“I just wanted a report of a poor man to be lodged (against the doctor). It is the police’s duty to investigate and write a report (FIR),” the legislator said, explaining that a 70-year-old man’s family sought a death certificate from a doctor stating that he had died of snakebite to enable them to apply for compensation.
According to news agency PTI, the MLA alleged that the doctor demanded ₹40,000 - 10% of the ₹4 lakh compensation granted by the government in snake bite cases - from the family to issue the certificate.
Senior state BJP leader and nine-time legislator Gopal Bhargava spoke out in Pateria’s support. “Government employees are demanding money for issuing death certificates. The BJP government is working day and night for the poor. Be it a police officer or a doctor, such behaviour will not be tolerated.”
BJP spokesperson Dr Hitesh Bajpai said such a situation arises when officers stop listening to public representatives. “The party and public representatives have full faith in each other. MLAs and MPs are for raising the voice of the people and this is real democracy so there is nothing wrong with it. BJP is not a party like the Congress where leaders fight for position and establishing their children.”
Congress leader Arun Yadav said the administration had become so corrupt that even ruling party MLAs had to bow down to them and their voice was not being heard by the state government.
