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“Police commissioner system is a positive step”

Panelists observe that a lot will depend on individual officers taking charge and they will need to resist political pressures. Alok Singh will be Commissioner, Noida, and Surjit Pandey, Commissioner, Lucknow.

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Monday Mudda

Panelists observe that a lot will depend on individual officers taking charge and they will need to resist political pressures

The Uttar Pradesh cabinet has approved a proposal to set up the police commissioner system in Lucknow and Noida, as a pilot project. Alok Singh will be Commissioner, Noida, and Surjit Pandey, Commissioner, Lucknow. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that two women officers of Superintendent of Police (SP) and Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) ranks each are being deployed to curb crimes against women in the new police commissionerates. The Chief Minister asserted that the new system will help in improving the law and order situation in the state. APN’s popular debate Mudda discussed the issue. Anchorperson Akshay posed the questions to the panelists, including the BJP’s Shambam Pandey, PSPL’s Farhat Khan, retired IPS officer Ajay Raj Sharma, and noted scribes Panjak Kishore and Pramod Goswami.

Kishore said: “Since the last 50 years, talk has been there to have the police commiserate system, from time to time. In reality, our systems are old. The IAS controls the CRPC and IPC. Now power will move to the new commissioners. Look at the crime situation in Noida, police still have no clues regarding the killing of corporate employee Gaurav Chandel. Effective police administration is needed to curb crime.”

Sharma said: “Since 1977, there has been a demand that big towns in the country–and there are over 5 lakh such towns–should have a police commissioner system. England has the system. This is the need of the hour. The DM is head of the administration, but there is divided loyalty. Now the commissioner will have magisterial powers too, to place a town under curfew, and so on, in times of riot, for example.” Sharma added that the IAS lobby will fight for their turf, but this system is very successfully employed in London and New York too.

Goswami said: “Sharma has been IG and DIG, and I respect him a lot for his work. The success of the commissioner system will also depend on the particular officer and the political pressures at work. Sharma has never allowed any pressure on him. The point is to deal with the counter-pressures. I have myself seen Sharma in Farrukhabad, he has not allowed any pressure to prevail upon him.”

Pandey said: “Whenever there’s a new law, people talk about both the negatives and the positives. I would like to quote Munshi Premchand in Panch Parmeshwar and say that accountability comes with the post. So the concerned officers will feel responsible. It is indeed a welcome move and the DM will get to focus on his/her other responsibilities.”

Sharma said: “See, right now magisterial powers are not with the police, still there’s lawlessness. In the commissioner system, accountability and responsibility both will be with the police.”

Khan said: “What’s wrong with the existing law ? Why make more laws? In UP, there would be fear and competition among the IAS and the police. Licence raj will be effectively put in place. In JNU, how come police allowed goondas inside the campus?”

Kishore said: “The effort is to improve governance. IAS lobby will resist and that would lead to confrontation. See, the police and the people will remain the same, what’s needed is an attitudinal shift.”

Goswami said: “True the people are the same, but checks and balances will be there. People show more responsibility when power is thrust upon them. Sujit Pandey is a highly acclaimed officer.”

Pandey said: “The IAS-IPS tussle is only since it’s just been announced. It will all settle down. This is as a pilot project for Noida and Lucknow. People will remain the same, but all people are different. People will get adequate scope to show their efficiency. We need to trust the officers.”

Khan said: “I can’t understand, only names are being changed. As far as efficiency is concerned, the police force gets a lot of opportunities to show that. I am fearful, officers will get busier, people’s representatives will have problem.”

Kishore said: “This law is for the common man. I am hopeful that a lot will change for the better.”

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MK Stalin predicts frequent PM Modi visits to Tamil Nadu before assembly election

MK Stalin has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Tamil Nadu more often ahead of the Assembly election, calling the tours politically motivated and questioning the Centre’s support to the state.

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MK Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin has predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will increase his visits to the state as the Assembly election, expected in April or May, draws closer.

Speaking ahead of the polls, the DMK president said the Prime Minister has already begun touring Tamil Nadu and is likely to visit frequently in the coming months. He claimed that such visits could create discomfort within the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), as alliance partners may fear the political impact of repeated appearances.

Stalin calls visit politically motivated

The Chief Minister described the Prime Minister’s scheduled programmes in the state as “politically motivated”. PM Modi is set to attend various events in Madurai in southern Tamil Nadu, including the inauguration of the first phase of the AIIMS hospital project. He is also expected to visit the Thiruparankundram Temple amid the Karthigai Deepam-related controversy and participate in a public meeting organised by the NDA.

Stalin said he has been working for all sections of the population, including those who did not vote for his party. In contrast, he remarked that some leaders are visible in the state only during election time and increase their visits as polls approach.

Criticism over Union Budget allocations

The DMK leader also criticised the BJP-led central government, accusing it of neglecting Tamil Nadu. He pointed out that while approval was recently granted for the Gujarat Metro project, there were no major announcements or allocations for Tamil Nadu in the Union Budget.

Stalin asserted that voters would remember the lack of significant measures for the state. He framed the upcoming election as a contest between Tamil Nadu and the NDA, stating that the state should be governed from Fort St George in Chennai rather than from Delhi.

The ruling DMK is currently allied with several smaller parties and, at present, the Congress, as it seeks a third consecutive term in office. Its principal rival, the AIADMK, is aligned with the BJP as part of the NDA.

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Shashi Tharoor questions Centre over Kerala name change to Keralam

Shashi Tharoor has criticised the Centre’s decision to approve renaming Kerala as Keralam, questioning its impact and pointing to the lack of major projects for the state.

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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has criticised the central government over its decision to approve the renaming of Kerala as ‘Keralam’, arguing that the move prioritises symbolism over development.

Reacting to the Union Cabinet’s approval, Tharoor said that the state’s name has always been ‘Keralam’ in Malayalam and questioned the practical impact of introducing the Malayalam term into English usage.

“It has already been ‘Keralam’ in Malayalam. So now, a Malayalam word is coming into English. I don’t know what difference it makes,” he said, adding that the state has not received major projects such as an AIIMS or new institutions from the Centre. He also pointed out that no significant allocations were made for Kerala in the Union Budget.

In a separate post on X, Tharoor raised what he described as a “small linguistic question” about what residents of the state would be called if the name change is implemented. Referring to existing terms such as “Keralite” and “Keralan”, he remarked that alternatives like “Keralamite” sounded like a microbe and “Keralamian” like a rare earth mineral.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared the proposal on Tuesday. The move comes ahead of the upcoming state Assembly elections, in which 140 members of the legislative assembly are to be elected. The poll schedule is yet to be announced by the Election Commission of India.

The state assembly had earlier passed a resolution seeking the change in official records. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had moved the resolution in 2024, urging the Union government to adopt the name ‘Keralam’ in all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

He had stated that the demand for a united Kerala for Malayalam-speaking people dates back to the national freedom movement.

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Tamil Nadu potboiler: Now, Sasikala to launch new party ahead of election

Sasikala has announced the launch of a new political party ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, positioning herself against AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami.

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In a significant political development ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, expelled AIADMK leader V. K. Sasikala has announced that she will float a new political party and contest the polls by fielding her own candidates.

Speaking in Madurai before heading to Pasumpon for a public event, Sasikala said she would unveil her party’s flag later in the evening. She indicated that more details regarding the party’s structure and plans would be shared at the gathering.

The event venue carries political symbolism. Pasumpon is the birthplace of Thevar leader Muthuramalinga Thevar, and Sasikala herself belongs to the influential Thevar community in southern Tamil Nadu. The programme was held as part of birth anniversary events of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.

Direct challenge to EPS

Sasikala’s move is being viewed as a direct political challenge to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS). After Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016, Sasikala briefly took control of the party and had appointed Palaniswami as Chief Minister. However, following her conviction in the disproportionate assets case, she served a four-year prison term, and during that period, she was expelled from the party.

Palaniswami later aligned with O. Panneerselvam, whom Sasikala had earlier removed from the Chief Minister’s post. The two leaders subsequently adopted a dual leadership arrangement within the party and government.

Sasikala remains disqualified from contesting elections until 2027 due to her conviction. Nevertheless, she has stated that she intends to field candidates under her new party banner.

Fragmented Thevar vote base

Over the years, expulsions within the AIADMK — including Sasikala, her nephew TTV Dhinakaran and O Panneerselvam — have led to divisions within the Thevar support base. Political observers have linked this fragmentation to the party’s weakened electoral performance in the elections following Jayalalithaa’s passing.

While Dhinakaran has returned to the NDA fold, reports suggest Palaniswami is opposed to any arrangement that includes Sasikala or Panneerselvam. OPS, meanwhile, has exited the NDA.

Sasikala has repeatedly criticised Palaniswami, describing him as a betrayer, while he maintains that his leadership stems from the support of AIADMK legislators rather than her backing.

The AIADMK has not issued an official statement on Sasikala’s announcement. However, a senior party leader questioned her political standing, pointing out her disqualification from contesting elections and referring to legal issues linked to Jayalalithaa’s death.

With the Assembly polls approaching, Sasikala’s re-entry into active politics could further complicate the opposition space in Tamil Nadu and influence electoral calculations, particularly in the southern districts.

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