MP writes to CM asking for restrictions on IAS and IPS agents fan pages

Mysuru MP Pratap Simha called on Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to end the culture of “self-aggrandizement†of IAS and IPS agents through their various social networks.

He wrote a three-page letter to the chief minister on the issue and called for a “comprehensive set of guidelines” to project the various social protection programs undertaken by the government of Karnataka.

This, the MP said, “will prevent the upper bureaucracy from mistakenly appropriating credit through social media platforms by wading into an area completely prohibited for self-aggrandizement.”

It is for the second time in recent days that Mr. Simha has raised the issue. He had previously described the social media content of IAS and IPS agents as “pretensionsâ€.

Some fan pages and social media platforms were used to peddle false stories which he said could potentially lead to harassment online.

“Such a practice of false advertising should be discouraged. The government should develop a robust mechanism to keep tabs on the activities of certain publicity-hungry IAS and IPS agents to prevent the misuse of social media platforms to promote the personal agenda of bureaucrats Said Mr. Simha.

The MP says a majority of citizens “rally” to his point of view on this issue while a handful of people questioned his motives. He said that as elected representatives it was their “sworn responsibility†to provide factual information about the work being done in their respective constituencies.

Mr Simha sought to differentiate each district’s official SP or DC account or pseudonym, and said his limited point was that their personal accounts and so-called fan pages, which are used to distort their image , should be immediately deleted.

Without naming names, he claimed to have encountered incompetent and corrupt IAS and IPS agents who managed to create a crusader image using social media. “Some … are arrogant, indifferent and corrupt in their personal lives, but use the self-image as a cover to hide all their nefarious activities,” Simha wrote to the chief minister.

In the letter, he claimed that some agents had hired professional advertising agencies to improve their careers and image, and questioned the source of the money to pay for these services.