Hassan Deputy Commissioner takes exception to JD(S) leader Revanna’s remaks

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Taking strong exception to former Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Revanna’s remarks against her, Hassan Deputy Commissioner K.S. Lathakumari said the comments were uncalled for and beneath the dignity of the post he once held.

Addressing the media in Hassan on Monday, Ms. Lathakumari said she had secured her post constitutionally, through her own effort, and that nobody had “brought” her to the position. She was responding to Mr. Revanna’s recent remark — made in a tone of ridicule — asking “from where did they [the government] even find such a DC”.

At a press conference earlier, the former Minister alleged that Ms. Lathakumari fixed the reservation of gram panchayat seats under political pressure.

Ms. Lathakumari said that as a child, she believed education would earn her respect in society. Later, after being educated, she believed holding a good office or administrative post would command that respect. Even after becoming a Deputy Commissioner, she said, she had faced hurtful comments of this kind, which she felt were unbecoming of a legislator.

Ms. Lathakumari said Mr. Revanna, a senior politician, had made loose personal remarks against her, adding that many officers in the district were afraid of him. “The use of such language appears to be an attempt to weaken me mentally. Let me clarify: I am not weak, and I cannot be weakened,” she said.

On the reservation of gram panchayat wards, Ms. Lathakumari said that under the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj Act, the power to notify reservations rested with the Deputy Commissioner, not with tahsildars or the MLA.

“Tahsildars send proposals with population statistics for each ward. It is the Deputy Commissioner who finally issues the notification,” she said.

Even if there were errors, she said, the MLA, as an elected representative, had proper channels to raise objections. “The MLA has every right to question any mistakes, through the proper form. So far, he has not submitted his objections to the reservation in writing,” she added.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.