'I control police': Biplab Deb asks officers not to worry about contempt of court
Agartala(PTI): Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb asked government officers not to worry about contempt of court as it was not easy to send someone to jail because he controlled the police.
Speaking at the biennial conference of Tripura Civil Service Officers' Association, Deb said the way a section of officers were citing contempt of court as if it was a tiger, but actually "I am the tiger".
Deb's comment triggered a controversy with opposition parties saying that under his regime, democracy was at stake.
"Nowadays, a section of officers are scared of contempt of court. They don't touch a file saying there will be trouble, citing contempt of court. I will be jailed for contempt of court if I do this," he said while speaking at the programme in Rabindra Bhavan on Saturday.
"Where is the problem? How many officers have been sent to jail on contempt of court charge so far? I am here, I will go to jail before any one of you are dragged to jail," he added.
Deb said sending someone to jail was not easy as police were required for that.
"And, I control the police. The way the officials are citing the situation as if contempt of court was like a tiger! I want to assure all of you that I am the tiger. The power is in the hands of who runs the government," Deb, who holds the Home portfolio, said amid huge applause from the audience.
The chief minister also mentioned his experience with a former chief secretary over the issue.
"One of our chief secretaries said that he will be jailed for contempt of court if he does work outside the system... Then I let him go and die," he said, mocking him.
The opposition CPI(M) said the chief minister's statement shows he does not respect the judiciary.
"It shows that he doesn't respect the judiciary, one of the important pillars of democracy. Under his regime, democracy is at stake and his statement is the outburst of frustration for failing to deliver," CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chowdhury said.
The Trinamool Congress also slammed Deb and urged the Supreme Court to take cognisance of his comments.
"@BjpBiplab (Biplab Deb) is a DISGRACE to the entire nation! He shamelessly mocks Democracy, MOCKS the Hon'ble JUDICIARY and seemingly gets away with it! Will the SUPREME COURT take cognizance of his comments that reflect such grave disrespect?" TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee tweeted.
From his claim that internet existed during the "era of Mahabharata" to Rabindranath Tagore returned his Nobel prize in protest against the British, Deb has often courted controversy with his comments.
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Cristiano Ronaldo scores his 100th Saudi Pro League goal
Riyadh (AP): Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th Saudi Pro League goal as Al-Nassr beat Al-Shabab 4-2 to move five points clear at the top of the table.
The 41-year-old forward converted a Sadio Mané cross at the near post with 15 minutes remaining to record the 971st goal of his career on Thursday. It was also his 26th league goal of the season.
“Ronaldo is always dangerous going forward and we saw that again today,” Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus said.
João Félix, signed from Chelsea in July, scored three goals for the league leaders.
The win took Al-Nassr to 82 points from 32 games, five ahead of Al-Hilal, which has three matches, one more than Nassr, left to play. Al-Hilal meets Al-Kholood on Friday and faces Nassr on Tuesday in what could be a title decider against its Riyadh rival.
“Now we have a derby match against our rival, which is a difficult encounter,” Jesus said.
“We are fully aware of its importance, and we are dealing with it with complete focus as we know that small details could decide the result.”
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, has yet to secure a major trophy in Saudi Arabia since signing with Al-Nassr in December 2022.
