Stalin says Kiran Bedi's removal as L-G too late; 'Puducherry will not forgive or forget'

DMK chief MK Stalin termed the removal of Kiran Bedi as Puducherry's Lieutenant Governor a delayed announcement and claimed that it was BJP's last-minute effort to deceive the people of the UT. In a surprising move, Kiran Bedi was removed from the office of the Lt Governor by President Kovind while Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan was handed the additional charge of Puducherry. DMK's Stalin claimed that the former IPS officer made a 'mockery of democracy' and that the BJP had allowed Kiran Bedi to indulge in low-level politics and stall the development works in Puducherry. Further, Stalin claimed that the people of the UT would never forget or forgive the Centre despite its last-minute efforts to right the wrong. 

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Kiran Bedi's removal came in the wake of Puducherry CM V Narayanasamy's persistent demand seeking the recall of the ex-IPS officer whom he accused of impeding the developmental schemes of the territorial government. Meanwhile, the Opposition leaders including AIADMK, BJP and All India NR Congress MLAs submitted a letter to the secretary in-charge demanding a floor test. CM Narayanaswamy's government became a minority on Tuesday after a spur of resignations from the party ahead of polls in the UT. However, the CM has refused to dissolve his cabinet. 

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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.

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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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