Centre trying to use Bedi to destabilise Cong gvt in P'cherry:

Kiran Bedi has been posted as Puducherry Lt Governor by the Centre only to destabilise the Congress government in the union territory, AICC Secretary Sanjay Dutt alleged Friday.

Dutt, the AICC in-charge of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, accused Bedi of functioning in an "anti-people" manner under the 'instructions' of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Kiran Bedi has been posted here as the Lt Governor only to destabilise and disturb the elected government... the NDA government is using her as a tool to put obstacles in the implementation of welfare schemes," he alleged.

This was "exposed by the hurdles" Bedi had been putting in implementation of various welfare programmes of the UT government, the AICC leader told reporters here.

He referred to the recent Pongal gift hamper scheme over which Bedi and Chief Minister V Narayanasamy were locked in a row.

Citing a government order, Bedi had been insisting that the scheme should be limited to only the below poverty line (BPL) families while the Narayanasamy government wanted it to be extended to all ration card holders.

Dutt alleged both Modi and Bedi were defying the mandate of the Constitution by "conspiring to destabilise the elected government".

He claimed the BJP was attempting to use the Raj Nivas, the office of the Lt Governor, to destabilise the Narayanasamy government as it had failed to cause a division among the Congress MLAs here.

Bedi had been at loggerheads with the Congress government over several issues and the Chief Minister had demanded her recall in the past, taking exception to her style of functioning.

Dutt, who is here for the launch of Congress' outreach programme "Shakti", said it was the brain child of party chief Rahul Gandhi to ensure connect with the party cadres at the grass root level.

"Workers are the pillars of the party and their feedback would be taken note of for the development of the party organisationally," he said.

Vice president of Puducherry Congress Committee P K Devadoss had been appointed the convenor of project Shakti here, he added.