Agartala, August 28: In a new diktat issued by a Tripura government, bureaucrats are advised to avoid wearing ‘casual attires’ such as denim wears while attending official functions and meetings at all levels. Principal Secretary to Tripura government for Education, Revenue and Information and cultural affairs Sushil Kumar issued a memorandum on August 20.  Opposition parties have criticised the move and termed it as ‘feudal’.

"District Magistrates, ADMs being the district head need to ensure that in/at the state level official meeting which is chaired by the Hon'ble Chief Minister, Dy. CM, Ministers, Chief Secretary etc. or other high-level official meetings due regards needs to be given to the dress code," the memorandum said. It also stated, "Certain casual attires like jeans and cargo pants should be avoided."

In the memorandum, Kumar said that he had three decades of experience in the Government of India service and he was yet to see an officer from the IAS or central services come to the office wearing casual attires like denims. The memorandum also warned officials from reading and sending messages during the meeting terming it as a mark of disrespect.

The principal secretary also advised the district magistrates to ensure that officers maintain decorum and adhere to proper code of conduct while attending official functions or meetings. Kumar also referred to former chief minister Manik Sarkars advice to officers to keep hands off their pockets.

Kumar also cited an example of a Madhya Pradesh official where he faced  criticism for receiving the chief minister wearing goggles. Congress termed the order as an encroachment on the rights of government servants.  Tripura Pradesh Congress vice-president Tapas Dey said this order is a perfect reflection of the feudal mindset of the state's ruling BJP-IPFT government.

Meanwhile, CPI (M) spokesperson Goutam Das also slammed the order. He said that  India is a democratic country and not the British colonial rule. This type of memorandum reminds us of the colonial rule only. He further questioned that how could the government give orders regarding the dress code.

(With inputs from PTI)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 28, 2018 09:09 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).