DMK Alleges BJP Blocking Tamil Nadu DGP Appointment, Sparks Political Row

The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in Tamil Nadu has accused the BJP-led Union government of meddling in state affairs by attempting to impose its preferred candidate as the next Director General of Police (DGP). The allegation surfaced amid escalating political tensions over the prolonged delay in appointing a permanent DGP, with the state currently relying on G. Venkataraman as acting head since Shankar Jiwal's retirement on August 31. Law Minister S Regupathy, in a pointed statement on Wednesday, asserted that the Centre's interference is the primary cause of the impasse, underscoring a broader clash over federalism where law and order remains a state subject under India's Constitution. Regupathy vowed that Chief Minister MK Stalin would staunchly defend Tamil Nadu's autonomy in the selection process, drawing parallels to the DMK's resistance in other contentious domains like education and finance.

The controversy intensified when Leader of Opposition and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) chief Edappadi K Palaniswami lambasted the DMK for the vacancy, portraying it as administrative negligence that undermines public safety. Palaniswami's critique, delivered during a party meeting in Salem, highlighted the over two-month gap since Jiwal's exit, questioning the government's preparedness amid rising concerns over custodial deaths and communal flare-ups.

However, the DMK swiftly countered, accusing Palaniswami of hypocrisy given his tenure as Chief Minister from 2017 to 2021, during which the party allegedly ceded ground to the Centre on key issues, including farm laws and GST implementation. Regupathy specifically alleged that the Union government flouted procedural norms by pushing favoured names during a Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) panel meeting, prompting the state to reject the proposals outright.

Details of the standoff reveal procedural skirmishes at the heart of the dispute. Regupathy explained that the UPSC, tasked with empaneling eligible IPS officers, forwarded a list skewed toward the Centre's choices, which the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary promptly challenged via a formal letter. A response from the UPSC remains pending, stalling the tripartite selection involving the state government, the empanelled list, and the Union Home Ministry. This mechanism, enshrined in Supreme Court guidelines post-2006 to curb arbitrary appointments, has often been a flashpoint in non-BJP-ruled states.

Tamil Nadu's resistance echoes similar standoffs in West Bengal and Kerala, where regional parties have decried "saffronisation" of bureaucracy. With over 30 senior IPS officers in contention, the delay risks operational disruptions, from coastal security to cybercrime probes, as Venkataraman's interim role stretches thin.

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The episode amplifies Tamil Nadu's fraught ties with the BJP, exacerbated by the latter's alliances with splintered AIADMK factions and its push for a Uniform Civil Code. For the DMK, framing the DGP row as Union overreach bolsters its Dravidian narrative of resisting Hindi imposition and central dominance, potentially rallying southern voters ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls. Palaniswami's intervention, meanwhile, seeks to reposition AIADMK as a vigilant opposition, distancing it from its past NDA flirtations.

As the UPSC deliberates, analysts warn that politicising police leadership could erode institutional trust, urging dialogue to expedite a consensus pick. Stalin's administration, balancing welfare agendas with governance, faces mounting scrutiny to resolve the vacancy without compromising state sovereignty.

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