FACE-OFF IN PUDUCHERRY

The turf war between Puducherry L-G Kiran Bedi and Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy has become a no-holds-barred constitutional confrontation. The two leaders spoke to Kaushik Deka to present their side of the story. Excerpts:

Kiran Bedi, Lieutenant-Governor

CM Narayanasamy says you have made it difficult for him to run the government.

A. Before the Nellithope byelection (November 2016), the CM was all praise for me. Even the assembly passed an appreciative resolution. Once he won the byelection, I saw a steady opposition building up against my working style.

The latest bone of contention is your “interference” in the allotment of medical seats in private colleges. A. The medical seats distribution issue is a big fiasco committed by them. We detected it just in time. I have asked central agencies to investigate the sabotage from all angles. The L-G’s office is the final clearing office for financial approvals, cabinet decisions, service issues, postings and transfers, disciplinary cases, planning and policy approvals, contracts and several other matters. So doing due diligence is my duty. Why do you send the files to the L-G? Get an ornamental rubber stamp made then, and do it yourself.

Narayanasamy has also accused you of trying to garner publicity by posting confidential information on social media.

A. Good, comprehensive communication is the basis of all good governance. I know what and when to share, and what not to.

There is an allegation that the Narendra Modi government has sent you to Puducherry to harass the elected Congress administration.

A. The Centre has far more important issues to address.

You announced that you will quit when you complete two years in the state. Why?

A. Puducherry does not need me for too long. So why hang on?

V. Narayanasamy, Chief Minister

Why do you say the L-G has made it difficult for you to run the government?

A. In India, as per the Constitution, only the elected government has the supreme power to govern. If the L-G assumes superpowers and continues to act with impunity, then what is the difference between a dictatorship and democracy? Nowhere in the rules is it stipulated that the L-G has powers to run day-to-day administration.

You objected to the L-G reaching out to bureaucrats directly through social media. Why are you scared of her? She says she is trying to create a transparent system for redressal of public grievances.

A. Government secrets cannot be divulged pn social media. You are saying that she is bringing transparency. When we asked for a copy of letters written by her to the green tribunal and the Union ministry for home affairs, she refused to divulge the same. Is this a transparent system of administration?

Bedi claims she is has the financial authority to run the state and overrule any law the state legislature passes. A. The Constitution gives power only to an elected government... not to representatives of the honourable president.

On medical college admissions, don’t you think she had the right to intervene if there were malpractices? A. I openly challenged the L-G to prove her allegations that government quota seats had been surrendered to private medical colleges. Till date, there is no reply from her.

You say she is seeking publicity and is working at the behest of political masters in Delhi. What makes you say that?

A. She has created a separate media team for her publicity. Team Raj Bhawan is used for her self-propaganda.