The Hindu : National : Lt. Governor of Delhi kicks up another row

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Lt. Governor of Delhi kicks up another row

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Hot on the heels of the controversial utterances by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray about north Indians, the Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi whipped up another storm on Thursday by stating that it was a speciality of the residents of North India to derive a sense of pride in violating the law and then boasting about it.

Speaking at the launch of a “Traffic Patrol Scheme” of the Delhi Police, Mr. Tejendra Khanna raised many eyebrows with his remarks.

“In this region, the situation is such that commonly it is a matter of pride to violate the law. The behaviour pattern in south India is such that the people naturally stay within the limits of the law,” he said.

“It is a speciality of north and west India that the people feel a sense of honour and pride in violating the law and boasting that no action has been taken against them.

“If the people overstep the limits, then the law enforcement agencies should not remain mute spectators and should take effective action,” he said.

Mr. Khanna later clarified that he had only referred to “the comparatively lower level of autonomous self-compliance of traffic regulations…compared with metropolitan cities in the south which is borne out by relevant statistics.”

“This in turn leads to the need for a more effective police presence and alertness to check violations,” he added.

Criticism

Last month Mr. Khanna had come under severe criticism over the issue of photo identity cards being made mandatory for all residents of the capital. Following loud protests by a cross-section of political parties including the Congress and the Delhi Government, he clarified that he had been misunderstood. The matter had stirred a hornet’s nest with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar writing to the Prime Minister urging him to ensure withdrawal of the plan as it could be used to harass people from certain States.

The latest remarks come at a time when relations between Mr. Khanna and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit are far from cosy.

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