Reacting to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government's new guidelines for the appointment of Director General of Police Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday took a veiled dig at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and said person over making new rules may not stay in his position for two years.
"I have heard that arrangements are being made to give a permanent post to a senior officer and extend his tenure by two years... the question is whether the person making the arrangement will himself stay for two years or not," the SP chief said on X.
"Is this an attempt to take the reins from Delhi into one's own hands? Delhi vs. Lucknow 2.0," he added.
The next legislative assembly elections are UP and are due on May 2027, nearly two years from now. The Samajwadi Party, which gave a noteworthy performance in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election, is hoping to continue the winning streak in the 2027 Assembly polls.
The Uttar Pradesh government has approved a new set of rules giving itself the authority to appoint the Director General of Police (DGP) at the state level. In a recent cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the 'Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh Selection and Appointment Rules 2024' policy was approved, which mandates a nomination committee headed by a retired High Court judge, with a minimum tenure of two years for the DGP.
As per the new manual, the DGP will be appointed only when there are at least 6 months left in the officer's service. To be eligible for selection, candidates must have six months of service remaining on the date of creation of the vacancy and only those officers who are currently serving in the DG role at Level 16 of the Pay Matrix will be considered for the roles.