Ethics Committee to discuss environment minister’s complaint about MPs

The Ethics Committee, headed by former Union Minister Manikrao
Gavit, will meet Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh to discuss the letter that Ramesh wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and Rajya
Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari. Kumar and Ansari had referred the matter to the
Ethics Committee.

In his letter, Ramesh had complained that various members of parliament kept approaching him to discuss issues of companies that are either run by them or they are somehow associated with. He said they even approached him for projects that did not fall in their constituencies.

The minister had requested to ‘dissuade’ MPs with ‘serious
conflict-of-interest issues’ from meeting him or his ministry’s officials.

‘This
is a blatant violation of norms. I have tried to discourage this, but have not
entirely succeeded,’ Ramesh had stated.

The Ethics Committee is likely to meet Ramesh on February 17.