JANTANAMA NEWS, ALMORA, UTTARAKHAND
Dehradun: Amid the devastating disaster in the state capital, a video of Cabinet Minister Ganesh Joshi and District Magistrate Savin Bansal has gone viral on social media. The clip shows Minister Joshi confronting DM Bansal in a warning tone, saying, “Fix your ways,” while the DM avoids confrontation, folding his hands and quietly walking away.
The incident occurred when Minister Joshi was heading to inspect disaster-hit areas while DM Bansal and SSP Ajay Singh were arriving with their team. The two stopped face-to-face, where Joshi expressed anger, questioning why the DM had not been answering calls. Joshi told him, “Fix your attitude.” When SSP Singh tried to mediate, Joshi remarked that even the Chief Secretary, CM’s secretary, and Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey had answered calls, as had the SDM. “But you only picked up when the Chief Minister’s office called this morning,” he added. Following this, DM Bansal folded his hands and moved away without responding.
Minister Joshi later said, “We have been entrusted with people’s expectations. Whether it is the Chief Minister, ministers, MLAs, or workers of the BJP, we are bound to serve the people with complete honesty.”
The ruling BJP has backed its minister. State BJP media in-charge Manveer Chauhan said, “Be it an officer or a public representative, both are servants of the people. But elected representatives carry greater responsibility and accountability. If an officer disrespects that, strict action should follow.”
Meanwhile, Congress senior vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana criticized Joshi’s behavior, saying, “The video clearly shows the minister’s tone was inappropriate. A public representative should speak within limits. If ministers themselves admit that officers do not take their calls, it reflects the disorganized manner in which the state government is functioning.”