Puducherry CM Sleeps Outside L-G Kiran Bedi’s House; Protests Against ‘Autocratic’ Rule

In yet another tussle between the ruling chief minister and the Lieutenant governor, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi’s ties strained even further after as the former led a protest in front of Raj Nivas accusing Bedi of acting against the Constitution and the Rules of Business of Government of Pondicherry, 1963.

Why is the CM protesting?

The two heads have been at loggerheads with each other for quite some time with the most recent one being mandating helmets for two-wheelers. As the protests continued, the CM accompanied by some MLAs slept outside Raj Nivas on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, February 12 and February 13. According to The Times Of India, Narayansamy was wearing a black shirt and dhoti and said that he was protesting against the L-G because she tends to interfere in the day-to-day operations of the government.

On behalf of Govt, 39 pending issues have been raised & sent to @LGov_Puducherry to reslove issues immediately since its responding to people of UT & its development. No response till now. So myself, Hon. Mins , MLAs sit on dharna in front of #RajNivas for people of #Puducherry pic.twitter.com/76aSw5ygBb

— V.Narayanasamy (@VNarayanasami) February 13, 2019

He said, “She rejected our proposals on free rice scheme and returned the file. Who is she? She can’t stall the schemes and policies of an elected government.”

According to The Indian Express, right before the CM started the peaceful protest, he had reportedly written a letter to Bedi in which among many things, he asked Bedi to change this “undemocratic” style of governing. In response, Bedi also wrote a letter to him in which she termed Narayansamy’s protest to be “unlawful.” She invited the CM for a discussion on February 21.

While both of them have been at loggerheads with each other, the recent tussle was brought forth after Bedi’s decision to make the helmet-wearing rule mandatory for Puducherry. Bedi wanted the implementation to happen at one go whereas, the CM had called for a phased implementation.

The CM added that other proposals like including implementation of the free rice scheme and grants to private institutions among others which were stalled by the L-G. The CM has alleged Bedi of “overreach and interference” and even criticised her for issuing orders to government officials without consulting the ministers concerned.

In the national capital also, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been entwined in a four-year-long battle with the L-G over the question of responsibility of services.

Also Read: L-G Vs Kejriwal: SC Split On Decision, Refers Case To A Larger Bench