Are south Indians better than north Indians?

Yes, says Delhi Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna, lands himself  in a load of trouble

NEW DELHI: Delhi’s lieutenant governor Tejinder Khanna is singing the same tune as MNS chief Raj Thackeray. Criticising north Indians, Khanna, on Thursday, called them “habitual lawbreakers”.

Khanna on Thursday raised eyebrows when he said the people of north India take pride in violating law.

“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, addressing a function to launch Delhi police’s traffic patrol scheme. He remarked that there is much better compliance of law in south India and that too without any external pressure. “It is a speciality of north and west India that the people feel a sense of honour and pride in violating law and boasting that no action has been taken against them,” Khanna said.

He added that as lieutenant governor of the capital, he has decided that efforts will be made to ensure that the citizens of Delhi treat law with respect and have a sense of fear towards overstepping the limits of law.

“Fear does not mean that there will be any high-handedness. But if the people overstep the limits, then the law enforcement agencies should not remain mute spectators and will have to take effective action,” Khanna said. “In taking such action, as lieutenant governor, I will be completely with you,” he said.

‘Media distorted my remark’
After a controversy broke out about his remark, Khanna said his remark was “seriously distorted” by the media. “Khanna had referred to the comparatively lower level of autonomous self compliance of traffic regulations such as maintaining lane discipline, giving right of way and respecting traffic lights in Delhi, as compared to that observed in some metropolitan cities in the south, which is borne out by relevant statistics,” a Raj Bhavan statement said. “This in turn leads to the need for more effective police presence and alertness to check violations,” the statement said.
 
Khanna also observed that an important part of the duties of good citizenship is to maintain a high-level of self-discipline and autonomous compliance of the rules and regulations so that all fellow citizens can live in a more orderly, peaceful and secure environment, it said.  The media has “seriously distorted the context and content of a statement” he made at the launch of Delhi police motorcycle traffic patrol here, the statement said.