Tripura Principal Secretary: No Jeans and Sunglasses during Office Hours

In a memorandum issued by Principal Secretary of Tripura government, Sushil Kumar has stated it clearly to the bureaucrats that one must follow a proper dress code while playing the official responsibilities. By mentioning proper dress code, the principal secretary clearly meant that none of the officers should avoid wearing sunglasses, jeans and cargo pants etc to the office. The memorandum also marked certain behaviours like reading and sending messages on mobile phones during meetings too is a mark of “disrespect”.

The memorandum states, “District Magistrates, ADMs being the district head need to ensure that in/at the state level official meeting which is chaired by the Honorable Chief Minister, Deputy CM, Ministers, Chief Secretary etc. or other high-level official meetings due regards needs to be given to the dress code.”

Sushil Kumar also recalled the manners and etiquettes followed during the tenure of the previous CM Manik Sarkar. He referred to the former CM, how he used to advise the officers to keep their hands off their pockets. Mentioning another incident of non-obedience of the codes of conduct, Kumar stated an instance when an official from Madhya Pradesh had received the Chief Minister wearing sunglasses. The official was later chastised for such ill-manners.

However, this memorandum by the principal secretary containing advises for the officers regarding the dress codes to be maintained during the official duty hours is being strictly criticized. The opposition parties CPM and Congress mark this as “feudal mentality” of the government.

Tripura Pradesh Congress vice president, Tapas Dey, said, “This is a feudal mindset. Government is ignoring basic problems but turning non-issues into an issue with a design to divert the attention of the people from their failure on all fronts.”

Goutam Das, the CPM spokesperson, criticizing the memo, said that this act of the government reminisces of the colonial rule under the British. He added, “We are a democratic country. This is not a colonial regime anymore. How can they give orders on what to wear and what to avoid in the name of dress codes? This is most condemnable.”