Minister for Natural Resources S Regupathy on Thursday accused the Union government of interfering in Tamil Nadu’s administrative affairs by proposing names of officers it preferred for the post of Director General of Police (DGP), which the state found “unacceptable.”He said the delay in appointing a new DGP was caused by the Centre, not the state government, and rebutted AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s charge that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin was keeping the top post vacant with an eye on next year’s Assembly election.“
Palaniswami appears to have forgotten how long his AIADMK government ran the state without a DGP. Now, he is blaming the Chief Minister who is fighting for the state’s rights,” Regupathy said in a statement.Earlier, Palaniswami had alleged that Stalin was “playing with people’s safety” by not appointing a full-time DGP since the tenure of the Law and Order DGP ended in August, with the intention of choosing someone favourable during the election period.
Regupathy countered that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) had disregarded the Tamil Nadu government’s recommendations—despite the state being constitutionally responsible for maintaining law and order—and instead forwarded a list of names it wished to see appointed.“
Since that list was not acceptable, the Chief Secretary wrote to the UPSC explaining the reasons. Yet, there has been no response,” Regupathy said, likening Palaniswami’s criticism to “the wolf weeping because the sheep were getting wet.”
He further attacked the opposition leader, saying, “What else can we expect from Palaniswami, who compromised the state’s rights during his own tenure as Chief Minister?”
Regupathy maintained that the issue is not about the appointment itself but about the Centre’s undue attempt to “influence” the process, calling it interference. He said the state had strongly objected at the selection panel meeting to the inclusion of some names that violated established rules.
Currently, G. Venkataraman is serving as acting DGP following the retirement of Shankar Jiwal on August 31.
