Bedi is woman without conscience, says Narayanasamy

Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Friday said the Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi is a woman without a conscience as she is allegedly adopting a revengeful attitude against the elected government. Addressing a press conference here, he said the Territorial government, under his leadership, had made rapid strides in several key sectors.

To buttress that statement, Narayanasamy referred to the Department of Personnel and Administrative Affairs of the Central government which had come out with an official report stating that among the Union Territories, Puducherry has 'notched the top rank in governance, public health, human resources development sector and in maintenance of law and order and security.'

He said the Centre had also stated in its report released on Thursday covering all the Union Territories that Puducherry is in the second place in agriculture. Narayanasamy said the union territory was an excellent and best performer in four of the nine sectors assessed by the Centre for all the Union Territories.

He claimed this as a "Himalayan achievement for my government and also for the entire team of Ministers and officers." He said his government was let down by the Centre without releasing sufficient funds to meet its commitments.

"There is also a sustained and unabated interference by the Lt Governor Kiran Bedi in routine administration," he said.

He lamented that the Lt Governor was allegedly taunting and intimidating officers by inviting them to meetings in her office. He said Bedi is a woman without conscience and acts in a revengeful manner against the elected government.

Narayanasamy expressed hope the New year 2020 would, however, turn for the better as 'the people as a whole are totally backing the secular democratic parties.' The appreciation of the performance of the territorial government in key sectors by the Central government is proof of good governance available now despite Bedi putting several hindrances and giving trouble to the government, he said.

"We know how we can tide over all hindrances even if the Lt Governor kept blocking files sent to her highlighting our decisions to implement welfare schemes," he added.

When his attention was drawn to the Lt Governor`s objection to the proposal of the government to bring in casinos, he reacted vociferously and wanted Bedi to 'first raise her objection to the government of Goa where the casino is in place.' He asked,

"Who is Bedi to question our proposal for the casino as Puducherry is a tourist destination. We are starved of funds to run the government and we are in a fix for want of funds to pay the salaries to employees and workers in certain sectors."

"Who is she to raise objection to our proposal to have casinos," he asked.

Lt Governor had earlier in a whatsapp message wanted the Chief Minister to explain if `opening of casino (as proposed by the government) be termed development`. She also pointed out in her message that `we have kept the 'wolf of gambling' away from a spiritual and pristine Puducherry`.

Bedi also expressed apprehension that "if we in the administration had concurred with Chief Minister and few others in the cabinet for facilitating casinos, lottery companies and breweries around in open market our students perhaps would take to gambling and beer-drinking habits." This would hurt social and spiritual fabric of Puducherry benefitting only some vested interests, she said.

She pointed out in her message that "we have kept the wolf of gambling and social pollution away from the lives of people of Puducherry." She appealed to the people to remain watchful and ensure that at no time such wolves enter even by default in the name of development.