Kiran Bedi removed as Puducherry LG, Telangana Governor to take additional charge of UT

While ordering the removal of Puducherry Lieutenant-Governor Kiran Bedi on Tuesday, the President issued an order stating that this additional charge will be taken by Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan for the time being.

Listen to Story

Advertisement
Kiran Bedi removed as Puducherry LG, Telangana Governor to take additional charge of UT
File photo of Kiran Bedi (Photo Credits: Reuters)

In Short

  • The Congress govt in Puducherry lost its majority after the resignations of 4 MLAs on Tuesday
  • Puducherry CM had met President on Feb 10 seeking Kiran Bedi’s removal
  • Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan will assume additional charge as Puducherry LG

Kiran Bedi will no longer serve as the Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry, an official communiqué from President Ram Nath Kovind's office said on Tuesday. This order comes less than 24 hours after four Congress MLAs tendered their resignations, leaving CM Narayanasamy's government short of a majority in the 30-member Assembly.

For the time being, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan will discharge the duties of the Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry in addition to her own duties.

advertisement

This order will come into "effect from the date she [Tamilisai Soundararajan] assumes charge of her office, until regular arrangements for the office of Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry are made," the communiqué from Rashtrapati Bhawan said.

Not just the Congress but all political parties in Puducherry had threatened to boycott the upcoming Assembly polls if Kiran Bedi is not removed. It has been widely reported that both the ruling alliance and the Opposition in Puducherry were unhappy with Bedi’s style of functioning.

Kiran Bedi’s removal as Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry comes at a time when the Union Territory is on the verge of political turmoil. With the resignation of four MLAs, CM Narayanasamy's Congress government has lost its majority in the Puducherry Assembly.

The strength of the 30-member Puducherry Assembly has fallen to 28. The Congress now has 10 MLAs in the Puducherry Assembly, its ally DMK has three MLAs and an Independent MLA who has pledged support to Narayanasamy. They are facing an Opposition with at least 14 MLAs, including three of the BJP and four of the AIADMK.

“Due to pressure from us, the Government of India has removed Dr Kiran Bedi. This is a great victory for the people of Puducherry. She hampered the growth here by her attitude of blocking welfare schemes,” Puducherry CM V Narayanasamy told news agency ANI.

In another interview with NDTV, CM Narayanasamy accused the BJP of giving Congress MLAs “false promises”.

On February 10, a delegation led by Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy had met President Ram Nath Kovind in Delhi. It was during this meet that the delegation submitted a memorandum to the President seeking Puducherry LG Kiran Bedi's recall, accusing her of interfering in the administration of the union territory.

advertisement

The delegation led by CM Narayanasamy also claimed that the Bedi was “impeding” the implementation of various schemes of the Puducherry government. Her removal comes less than 24 hours before former Congress president Rahul Gandhi's visit to poll-bound Puducherry.

Interestingly, among members of this delegation was MLA Malladi Krishna Rao, who resigned from the Puducherry Assembly on Monday. He is now slated to join the BJP, according to an official press release by the party.

The Puducherry government of CM V Narayanasamy had been engaged in a bitter feud with LG Kiran Bedi for several months now. The Chief Minister even led rallies demanding her removal as the Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry as recently as January of this year.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Goa, Dinesh Gundu Rao welcomed Kiran Bedi’s removal. In a tweet, Gundu Rao said, “A Victory for the people of #Puducherry. @thekiranbedi has been the worst LG in the history of India.”

“She behaved in an autocratic manner & didn’t allow the @INCPuducherry govt to function properly. Her office was a BJP/RSS office,” Gundu Rao alleged.