Kiran Bedi removed as Puducherry L-G post CM's 'recall' demand; Telangana Guv replaces her

In a massive development on Tuesday, former IPS officer Dr. Kiran Bedi was removed as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry by President Ram Nath Kovind. This comes in the wake of Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy's persistent demand seeking the recall of Bedi whom he accused of impeding the developmental schemes of the territorial government. For now, Telangana Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan will discharge the functions of the Puducherry L-G. This development also assumes significance as the Assembly election is set to be conducted in the Union Territory in April-May this year.

In a statement, Ajay Kumar Singh- press secretary to the President stated, "The President has directed that Dr. Kiran Bedi shall cease to hold the office of the Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry and has appointed Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, Governor of Telangana, to discharge the functions of the Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry, in addition to her own duties, with effect from the date she assumes charge of her office, until regular arrangements for the office of Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry are made."

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Demand for Kiran Bedi's recall

After the Congress party along with its ally DMK swept the 2016 Assembly polls in Puducherry, V Narayanasamy was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of the state. On the other hand, Kiran Bedi who led BJP to a crushing defeat in the 2015 Delhi Assembly polls was appointed as the Puducherry L-G in May 2016. Since the very beginning, Narayanasamy and Bedi have been at loggerheads over various issues concerning the governance in the Union Territory. While Congress accused her going against the decisions of the state government, the ex-IPS officer maintained that she was discharging her duties as per law.

To demand her recall, the ruling alliance in the state staged a 4-day agitation in Puducherry from January 8 followed by a day-long hunger strike on February 5 in which members of several parties including the CM participated. They reiterated the demand that either Bedi should quit on her own or the Centre should recall her. Escalating the matter further, Narayanasamy submitted a memorandum to President Ram Nath Kovind on February 10 urging him to remove Bedi, saying she was running a ''tughlaq durbar". Moreover, the Congress-led tie-up had announced a statewide bandh on February 16 to reiterate this demand, which was eventually cancelled to avoid inconvenience to the public. 

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