Deadlock in implementation of free rice scheme in Pondy

The implementation of free rice scheme in Puducherry suffered a virtual deadlock on Saturday with Lt Governor Kiran Bedi declining to concede the plea of the territorial government that rice alone should be distributed to ration card holders.

A delegation of the Ministers led by Chief Minister V Narayanasamy called on the Lt Governor at her office and submitted a copy of the resolution the Assembly had adopted unanimously on Friday that only rice should be distributed without any modification of the government decision.

But, with the Lt Governor sticking to her stand that rice should not be distributed, the Chief Minister, Ministers and the legislators staged a walk out of the meeting.

Later, talking to reporters here, the Chief Minister said the delegation had placed before Bedi, the copy of the resolution adopted in the Assembly asserting that only rice should be distributed and that there should be no payment of cash equivalent to the price of rice, to the card holders.

Narayanasamy said the Lt Governor declined to concede the government's decision and told the delegation that she had forwarded the file to the Centre.

This development marked intensification of the turf war between the Lt Governor and the government.

MLAs belonging to the opposition AIADMK, AINRC and the BJP however were not part of the delegation.

Chief Minister said the next course of action would be decided shortly.

Narayanasamy had on Thursday charged Bedi with "impeding" implementation of the cabinet decision to distribute rice to card holders under the free rice scheme.

The Lt Governor had been obstructing the enforcement of the scheme by insisting that only cash be granted instead of rice to card holders, he had alleged.