The ongoing shadow-boxing between Kiran Bedi, the lieutenant Governor of Puducherry and V Narayanasamy, the Chief Minister of the Union Territory reached a new high on Friday with the Puducherry Assembly passing a resolution to curtail the powers of the former.
Though the resolution was moved by the lone AIADMK member, the Congress Government accepted it as a Government resolution and passed it to ament the rules governing the powers of the lieutenant Governor. The resolution aims to clip the wings of Kiran Bedi, a former Indian Police Service officer, who was appointed to the present position by the NDA Government at the Centre.
The Chief Minister told the House that his Government found it difficult to work in synchronisation with the style of functioning of Bedi, whom he alleged of always opposing and rejecting the Government’s proposals and decisions.
The fight between the Congress Government and Bedi dates back to the day Narayanasamy was sworn in as Chief Minister last year with the lieutenant Governor, who was known for her pro-active style of functioning making it known that she would not be a rubber stamp Governor.
Things reached a flash point last week when Bedi said last week that the Puducherry Government had surrendered 71 seats to private medical colleges in the admission to post graduate medical courses.
Chief Minister Narayanasamy, who denied the allegations challenged the lt Governor to prove the charges she made against his Government. Speaking in the Assembly on Wednesday, Narayanasamy declared that his Government would not hesitate to file defamation case in the Madras High Court against those who spread “unsubstantiated charges”.
He also tabled a five-page statement on the Centralised Admission Committee’s admission procedure and claimed that the entire admission process was transparent and as per the rules and guidelines.