New Delhi, July 01: Describing as “most unfortunate” the alleged slapping of a bank manager by a Congress MP, Law Minister M Veerappa Moily on Wednesday said he did not think anybody, more so a Member of Parliament, could indulge in such an act.
“It is most unfortunate. I don’t think anybody should indulge in such things…Members of Parliament should be more responsible and he should not have done it,” Moily said here.
Congress MP from Nagarkurnool M Jagannath had yesterday found himself in a spot after he allegedly slapped Andhra Pradesh Grameen Vikas Bank Manager in Mahabubnagar district Ravinder Reddy for not releasing the loan amount to SC/ST beneficiaries for the last six months.
Noting that he would ask Jagannath as to “why he has done this,” Moily said, “More than that whatever the provocation, whatever the reason, you must exercise restraint and that too (when it came to) a public servant or (for that matter) anyone. You cannot afford to take to take law in your own hands”.
Meanwhile, Jagannath, in an apparent damage control exercise, said that the bank manager had allegedly taken the “liberty of insulting” him because he was a Dalit and had challenged him to come to the bank to settle scores.
Jagannath said, “Because I am a Dalit, he (the manager) took liberty of insulting me and he challenged me to come to the bank to settle scores. As a Parliamentarian for 12 years, I have never had such a kind of incident.
“If this has taken place now, then how much of provocation he would have made to me to take the matter to such an extent. He is a revered bank employee, (but) do other bank employees support this kind of insult to an MP,” he asked.
“I was trying to catch him twice but he was going away. In the third and the fourth attempt to get hold of his shoulder, he moved his head and my hand touched his cheek,” Jagannath said.
The MP had yesterday alleged that the manager had given an improper reply when he called him up during a meeting of the mandal officials and public representatives to find out the reasons for not distributing the loans to the SC/ST beneficiaries.
Dissatisfied over the manager’s reply, Jagannath headed to the bank from the mandal committee meeting and in the argument that followed, Jagannath allegedly slapped Reddy.
Footage aired by a news channel showed the ruling party lawmaker slapping the bank manager more than once.
“Can he speak to me in the language which he did? He was drunk heavily. If he was taken to the hospital, it would have been proved,” the MP had claimed.
However, the bank manager had said Jagannath’s behaviour did not behove the position held by him.
-Agencies