Pondy CM leads SDA allies, sans DMK, in fast demanding recall of Bedi

Chief Minister of Puducherry V Narayanasamy led the political parties in the Secular Democratic Alliance (SDA), barring the DMK, in the day-long fast here on Friday to press for the recall of Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi. Welfare Minister M Kandasamy, Industries Minister M O H F Shah Jahan, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) V Vaithilingam, PCC leader A V Subramanian and leaders of the different parties took part in the protest.

They all urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to recall the Lieutenant Governor as she had allegedly been impeding developmental schemes of the territorial government. Although the DMK had been supporting the Congress government here from outside none of the leaders of the Dravidian party participated in the fast.

DMK has been distancing itself for the last few months from agitations and protests organized by the ruling Congress. The Congress and other parties of the alliance had held a three-day protest seeking the recall of Bedi, from January 8. With the exit of PWD Minister A Namassivayam on January 25 from the Congress party to the BJP, the strength of the Narayanasamy-led Ministry is five.

Tourism Minister Malladi Krishna Rao was also conspicuous by his absence in the fast. The Chief Minister had announced recently that a state-wide bandh would be observed on February 16 to reiterate the demand that either Bedi should quit Puducherry on her own or the Centre should intervene and recall her as she had been allegedly intervening in the routine administration of the elected government.

"Our agitation will go on till the Centre recalled Kiran Bedi," Narayanasamy had said.

Meanwhile, a delegation of leaders from the Congress and the other parties would meet President Ram Nath Kovind in Delhi on February 10 to submit the papers containing the signatures the Congress had collected from the public during the campaign seeking the recall of Bedi.