Puducherry CM V Narayanasamy, cabinet ministers sleep outside LG house in protest
PUDUCHERRY: Puducherry chief minister V Narayanasamy and five of his ministers continued their protest outside Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi’s official residence on Thursday. Narayanasamy and his cabinet colleagues spent Wednesday night on the road outside Raj Nivas and slept on the road.
Narayanasamy is demanding that Kiran Bedi accord sanction for 39 government proposals, including a free rice scheme. He began his protest on Wednesday, wearing a black shirt and black dhoti. He was protesting against Bedi for not permitting implementation of his government’s welfare schemes.
“She (Kiran Bedi) has no power at all, she has to only be a post off i ce and si gn papers which have been sent by council of ministers, she has no right to touch cabinet decisions, she is vetoing decisions. She is being encouraged by the Prime Minister to create problems for our government,” said chief minister Narayanasamy, according to news agency ANI.
Bedi l e f t f or Chennai on Thursday morning to participate in an event. She is likely to go to Delhi from Chennai.
The Chief Minister’s action invited a sharp response from Bedi, who shot off a letter to him, terming his protest as ‘unlawful’. “Instead of waiting for my response to your February 7 letter, you have come to Raj Nivas, de manding a r e pl y i n t hi s unlawful manner,” she said. “This method (sitting in dharna) is unheard of from a person of your position,” the Lt Governor said in the letter, which was hand delivered to the chief minister.
Bedi invited Narayanasamy for a detailed discussion on February 21 at Raj Nivas. The Lt Governor said all the issues Narayanasamy had mentioned in his letter needed examination for a ‘considered response’ and claimed that nothing was pending at the Raj Nivas, as alleged.
She noted that the Chief Minister had never said in his letter that he and his colleagues would begin a dharna in front of Raj Ni v a s u n l e s s a r e p l y was obtained by February 13.
A copy of the letter was sent by Whatsapp to reporters later.
In another development, the Speaker V Vaithilingam also joined the dharna later in the evening. Narayanasamy however told reporters that the Speaker had come ‘to felicitate our peaceful protest’.