Patna (Bihar) [India], March 16 (ANI): Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tej Pratap Yadav has come under fire for allegedly telling a policeman 'dance or be suspended' during Holi celebrations. His remarks have drawn sharp criticism from retired senior police officials, who accused him of insulting the police force and disrespecting the dignity of the uniform.

Ajay Kumar Singh, a retired Delhi Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), condemned the remarks, urging authorities to take action against the RJD leader while stressing that no action should be taken against the officer, as he was merely following orders.

'The uniform has dignity, and we have a code of conduct. It is clearly mentioned in the police manual that police personnel must not act against the code of conduct. Tej Pratap is behaving like an imposter; saying such things to your own security is an insult to the police,' the former Delhi ACP told ANI.

Further criticizing Yadav's behaviour, Singh added, 'We are hurt by this act...The policeman is not at fault--he simply followed orders. Taking action against him would be unfair and unacceptable.'

Former Delhi Joint Commissioner of Police (Joint CP) SBS Tyagi urged Bihar's political leadership to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.

'Such instructions should never be given. I hope Bihar's political and police leadership will make it clear that police officers should not be subjected to such treatment,' Tyagi told ANI.

He also lamented the decline in etiquette and respect in public discourse, saying, 'Police officers work within the purview of the law. Their job is to maintain law and order and work as per the Constitution. I feel that there is a lack of manners and respect in society- people say and do whatever they want. Here, we believe in breaking the law; this is a wrong way of thinking,' Tyagi said.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister, Vijay Kumar Sinha, also criticized Yadav's remarks, saying that the RJD has a history of disregarding the law.

'RJD's culture is to flout the law, make fun of people in constitutional posts, insult the Constitution repeatedly, and demoralise people. The ideology and values of people who have been in RJD will never change,' Sinha told ANI.

The controversy erupted on Friday, March 14, when Yadav, while celebrating Holi with party workers at his residence in Patna, was caught on video telling a policeman: 'Nahi thumka lagaoge to suspend kar diye jaoge' (If you don't dance, you will be suspended).

His remarks have since been heavily criticized by the ruling alliance, including the Janata Dal (United) and Bharatiya Janata Party. (ANI)