Puducherry CM ‘interfering’ in police department: BJP MLA

Taking strong exception to the Chief Minister’s continued contention that police need not respond to the ‘oral order’ issued by the Lt Governor to ensure proper traffic management, president of the local unit of BJP V Saminathan said, “this directive of the CM to the police is totally unacceptable and untenable.”

Saminathan, also a nominated MLA, said the officials of any department were expected to implement the orders whether they are given in writing or orally.

The Chief Minister’s repeated instructions to the traffic police not to pay heed to the oral order of the Lt Governor would only hamper the smooth working of the police, and honest officers would also be embarrassed by his ‘amusing and utterly unacceptable instructions,’ he added.

Alleging that Narayanasamy appeared to be inclined to keep the police under his control, Saminathan said this would only aggravate the ‘crime situation’ as had been seen here, particularly at Nellithope, the constituency of Narayanasamy.

Thus to check crime, the police should obey Bedi’s order be it oral or in writing, he said.

On December 19, Narayanasamy had accused Bedi of issuing ‘arbitrary oral’ instructions to traffic police on dealing with violations of rules, saying she should send written orders on which he would take the final decision.

Reacting to this, Bedi on Thursday asserted that she would continue her ‘incognito checks on traffic management’ in the Union territory and senior police officers would be held accountable for any lapse found.

Bedi and Narayanasamy have been at loggerheads over various issues.

The Chief Minister has accused her of taking decisions without consulting the elected government.

Bedi, however, has been insisting that she was only exercising her powers as the administrator of the Union territory.