Chief Secy should ask District Collectors to instruct officials to follow Union Govt.’s guidelines on protocols: MP

MP D. Ravikumar has urged the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary to ensure that government officials follow established protocols regarding the treatment of Members of Parliament. He emphasized that MPs should be invited to public functions and given appropriate seating arrangements.
Why it matters
This highlights the tension between elected representatives and administrative bureaucracy regarding protocol and public visibility.
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi general secretary and Villupuram M.P. D. Ravikumar, on Monday urged the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary to ensure that the “instructions issued by the Union Government regarding how Members of Parliament should be treated” be followed and that District Collectors should instruct Officials of Revenue and other departments to follow them.
In a statement, Mr. Ravikumar said that an order issued on January 12, 2026, states that MPs representing the area must be invited to public functions organised by a Government office.
“In accordance with the Protocol, due consideration should be given to the fact that Members of Parliament rank above officers of the level of Secretaries to the Government of India and accordingly, proper and convenient seating arrangements should be made for them at public functions, and the appropriate order of seating on the dais should be followed,” he pointed out.
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