Uproar after Haryana orders officials to stand when they meet MPs, MLAs

The Haryana government has sent a circular to its officials telling them to stand when they meet MPs and MLAs.

"An officer should be meticulously correct and courteous to rise to receive and see off a Member of Parliament/State Legislature visiting him. Arrangements may be made to receive the Members of Parliament when, after taking prior appointment, they visit the officer of the Government of India, State Government or local government," the circular says.

"Any deviation from an appointment made with a Member of Parliament/State Legislature must be promptly explained to him to avoid any possible inconvenience. Fresh appointment should be fixed in consultation with him," it adds.

The circular was issued by the office of Haryana Chief Secretary Depinder Singh Dhesi. It is dated May 28 and has been signed by Devinder Kapil, the Under Secretary, Political.

Predictably, the circular has set off a wave of condemnation on social media.

The circular is essentially a repeat of one sent to the states by the Union government.

But it has caught the eye because of the current face-off between Delhi's AAP government and the capital's IAS officers, with the BJP being accused of double standards when it comes to the behaviourof officials in BJP- and non-BJP-ruled states.