Puducherry passes resolution to clip Kiran Bedi’s wings
PUDUCHERRY: The Puducherry assembly on Friday passed a resolution for absolute powers to the elected government led by chief minister V Narayanasamy to check the style of functioning of Lt governor Kiran Bedi.
The passage of the resolution, which in effect seeks to curb the powers of the Lt governor, was preceded by noisy protests by two opposition AINRC members who came to the defence of Bedi and were later suspended for disrupting the proceedings.
Narayanaswamy took strong exception to Bedi making field visits, calling meetings of officials at the Raj Nivas, holding meetings through video conferencing and sending communications through the social media.
Claiming that the Lt Governor had no powers to take any decision arbitrarily, the chief minister said she should act in “consultation and concurrence” of the elected ministry.
Bedi, who assumed office in May last year, has been involved in tussles with the Congress government on a host of issues. She has been asserting that being the administrator of the UT, she had the powers over administrative matters.
Last year, the former IPS officer had even threatened to quit her post and leave the Union Territory over non-cooperation by officials. The resolution urged the Centre to bring amendments to the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, so that only the elected government in the UT was vested with full powers on administrative matters so that it could look after the welfare of the people. Initially moved as a private member resolution by the AIADMK AMMA MLA A Anbalagan, it was later converted as government sponsored one and declared passed unanimously by speaker V Vaithilingam.
Pressing for absolute powers to the UT government, Narayanasamy referred to the provisions in the Constitution and also the various legislations relating to administration and conduct of business in Puducherry. He said Puducherry was different from other Union Territories like Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep as it has an elected legislature. BHOPAL: A 45-year old debt-ridden farmer hanged himself from a tree in MP’s Shivpuri district, police said on Friday, the ninth suicide in nine days in a state rocked by violent farm protests.
Kalla Kevat, a resident of village Bineka in Shivpuri district, was depressed because of backto-back crop failures and a mounting loan burden, police said. He killed himself on Thursday. “We have just 2.75 bigha land. This year, we don’t have money to purchase seed and fertilizer and my father was in stress but we didn’t know that he would take such a drastic step,” said his son Pool Singh Kevat.
The snowballing farm distress in Madhya Pradesh grabbed national headlines on June 6, when five farmers died in police firing during demonstrations to demand a loan waiver and better crop prices. Since then, nine deaths have been reported from the state as angry farmers have torched vehicles and ransacked property. The government has struggled to contain the acute agricultural crisis, despite assurances from the chief minister and promises of a partial loan waiver.
Farmers say they are caught in a cycle of plummeting crop prices, a demonetisation-induced cash crunch and exploitative middlemen.
FARMER ATTEMPTS SELF-IMMOLATION HOSHANGABAD: Fed up of the constant reminders and threats from moneylenders, 40-year-old Babulal Verma of Randal village poured kerosene and set himself on fire. Verma received 60% burns and his condition is said to be serious. He has been referred to Bhopal. Owner of only half-anacre of land, Verma has a loan of around ₹7 lakh against his name. On Thursday, moneylenders threatened him that they would beat him up and take possession of his house if he failed to pay up. At around 3.30am, Verma set himself afire.