Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. (File)
Three years after rejecting ‘VIP culture’ by removing red beacons from atop their vehicles, Haryana MLAs will soon be out on the roads with their vehicles supporting a different symbol of their special status — red flags. The use of these ‘red flags’ will be permitted for both their official as well as personal vehicles.
Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker Gian Chand Gupta, however, said that these flags were not symbols of VIP culture, and were being given only to ensure “identity and due recognition of the MLA, while on road”.
All the 90 Haryana MLAs will soon get a red-flag each bearing Haryana Vidhan Sabha logo and Member of Haryana Vidhan Sabha, MLA written on it.
It was in April, 2017 when the Union Cabinet had decided that red beacon lights will be removed from all vehicles, including that of Prime Minister.
The reasons given by the Vidhan Sabha Speaker Gian Chand Gupta for introducing the new system are that “in the absence of any proper identification on their vehicles, MLAs face harassment at the toll-plazas, have to wait in long queues sometimes even for 30 minutes”. Further, the Speaker said, “in certain cases police personnel had misbehaved with certain MLAs due to lack of adequate identification on their vehicles”.