At a time when the Congress-led government in Puducherry has plunged into a deep crisis, Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi was removed from the post on Tuesday night. Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has been given the additional charge of the Union Territory.
A press communiqué from the Rashtrapathi Bhavan said: “The President has directed that Dr Kiran Bedi shall cease to hold office of the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry and has appointed Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, Gevornor of Telangana, to discharge the functions of the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry in addition to her duties.”
The removal of Bedi comes days after Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy called on President Ram Nath Kovind and raised the issues against the LG. Bedi has always been a thorn in the flesh for the ruling Congress in the Union Territory.
“She discharged her duties as LG as per the Constitution for the first six months after she took charge in 2016. But later she began to intervene in the day-to-day administration of the government and acted against the welfare of the people. She did not give any respect to the elected government,” said Narayanasamy. The chief minister, along with Congress MLAs, had sat on a protest against Bedi in January demanding her resignation.
Bedi was removed as LG at a time when the Congress government has lost its strength in the Assembly with the resignation of MLA A. John Kumar on Monday. Earlier, two MLAs—Namasivayam and E. Theepainthan—had resigned in January while another MLA Dhanavelu was Disqualified in July 2020, thus bringing the strength of the Congress from 15 to 10 in the house.
“The government is not in crisis,” Nayarayanasamy, however, told the media.
Opposition leader and NR Congress chief N. Rangasamy is all set to move the office of the Assembly Speaker asking him to direct the Congress to prove its majority in the house. Demanding the resignation of Narayanasamy, he said: “The Congress members have resigned on their own as they were dissatisfied with the government.”
Rangasamy, sources said, would chalk out his future course of action and stake claim to form the government. But with the Assembly elections just a few weeks away, sources said, the Congress is unlikely to be asked to prove its majority. However, the removal of the LG raises many questions, considering the “Congress Mukth Bharat” slogan of the BJP.
Sources also said that the Union Territory might go under president’s rule.
