DGP being sought to be Imposed on Tamil Nadu
The Union Government made a bid to impose a Director General of Police (DGP) on Tamil Nadu but the State declined the proposal as unacceptable
Chennai: The Union Government made a bid to impose a Director General of Police (DGP) on Tamil Nadu but the State declined the proposal as ‘unacceptable,’ State Minister for Mines and Natural Resources, S Regupathy said, responding to the charge of AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami that the DMK government was keeping the post vacant with an eye on the 2026 Assembly elections.
Regupathy, in a statement, blamed the delay in the appointment of the new DGP, after the previous incumbent Sankar Jiwal retired on August 31, on the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for rejecting the list of names proposed by the State government and sending a list of officers it wanted to appoint for the post.
Lashing out at Palaniswami for blaming the State government for the top post remaining vacant, the Minister said that Palaniswami, by forgetting how long the AIADMK government had ruled the state without a DGP, was now pointing fingers at Chief Minister M K Stalin, who was actually fighting for rights of the State.
Palaniswami, in a post on his X page on Wednesday alleged that the Chief Minister had not appointed a full-time DGP to maintain law and order after the term of the Law and Order DGP came to an end for his electoral gains and was ‘playing with people's safety.’
In his retort to that charge, Regupathy claimed that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) did not accept the proposal of the Tamil Nadu government, which was responsible for maintaining law and order in the State, but instead sent its list proposing the names of the police officers it wanted to be made DGP.
The State Chief Secretary had written a letter to the UPSC, fully explaining the reasons for not accepting the names proposed by it, and was awaiting the reply for that when Palaniswami came up with a reaction that betrayed his intention like the proverbial wolf weeping over the sheep getting drenched, Regupathy said.
What else could one expect from Palaniswami, who was clinging to his post of Chief Minister by giving up the rights of the State, he said, adding that the issue was not about the State government delaying the appointment of the next DGP but the Union Government trying to interfere with the affairs of the State.
The State government had registered its strong objection to the proposal of some name by the Union Government, which was in violation of rules, and it was part of the various measures taken by the Chief Minister to uphold the rights of the State, he said
G Venkataraman is serving as the acting DGP since August 31 and the UPSC is reportedly not in favour of him being made the DGP as there were a few other officers who were senior to him in the department.
