This kind of etiquette observed in all previous govts: Karnataka Chief minister Siddaramaiah on IAS officers on protocol duty

Bengaluru: Chief minister Siddaramaiah defended the assignment of IAS officers on protocol duty for visiting political figures who were in Bengaluru to participate in the Opposition meeting on Tuesday.

Opposition JDS and BJP came down heavily on the government. JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy, a former CM, tweeted, "This is a clear violation of All India Services (Conduct) Rules. I was surprised & shocked that officials agreed to do this job knowing that it would dent their self-respect & honour."

Chief minister Siddaramaiah tweeted in response, "Chief ministers of various states and former central ministers who arrived in Bangalore today were considered as state guests. Officials were assigned only to welcome all those dignitaries as per etiquette. Apart from this the state government has no role in this programme. This kind of etiquette was observed in all previous governments."


BJP leader S Suresh Kumar said the government's duty ends with making security arrangements for visiting dignitaries, and protocol regulations clearly prohibit spending government money on their hospitality.