The dharna by Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy against Lt Governor Kiran Bedi outside the Raj Nivas entered the third day on Friday with the CM virtually rejecting her invitation for a meeting on February 21 over his demand seeking clearance of 39 government proposals.
Besides Chief Minister, his ministerial colleagues and MLAs of the ruling Congress and its ally DMK are staging the dharna accusing Bedi of adopting a “negative stand” towards the proposals, including a free rice scheme, awaiting her approval.
‘There is absolutely no need of such meeting’ Chief Minister told Media.
After making the offer for talks in a letter to Narayanasamy, Kiran Bedi, a former IPS officer, had left for New Delhi Thursday and would be back on February 20.
‘I wrote him (Puducherry CM) a letter that ‘you are welcome to come & see me on 21st Feb at 10 am, as I’m on a tour till 20th starting today. I’ll return on Feb 20 midnight. And tell me what could be more right.’He is still sitting there. He isn’t allowing ppl to wear a helmet’ Kiran Bedi told Media.
Chief Minister Narayanasamy has been insisting that he would not end the dharna till at least some of the proposals were cleared by Bedi.
A large number of Rapid Action Force personnel have been deployed in and around the protest venue.
In all, 39 proposals were submitted to her (Bedi) for approval. Let her at least give her nod to some of the important proposals which include free rice scheme and grants for the public sector undertakings,” he said.
Narayanasamy also accused the Centre of using the Lt Governor as a “pawn” to embarrass the elected government in the union territory.
Functionaries of different wings of the ruling Congress and the DMK have also joined the protest. Reportedly, DMK Chief MK Stalin spoke to Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and expressed his support towards him. AICC Secretary, Sanjay Dutt in-charge of party affairs also visited Chief Minister.
Dutt, while asserting that his party would come to power in Lok Sabha in 2019, he said, Bedi would be replaced in the larger interest of the development of Puducherry.
In the meanwhile, The opposition AIADMK sought a special session of the union territory assembly to discuss the current situation.
Chief Minister Narayanasamy had led an agitation in front of the Parliament on January 4, demanding that the Centre sanction statehood for Puducherry and replace Kiran Bedi as the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor and the government headed by Narayanasamy had been at loggerheads over various issues ever since Bedi assumed office in May 2016.
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