Delhi, Puducherry Lt Govs 'interfering' in functioning of

Seeking to draw a parallel between the style of functioning of Lt Governors of Delhi and Puducherry, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy today accused both of interfering in the functioning of the elected governments.

Referring to the sit-in being staged by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues at the L-G's office, he said they were protesting against "interference" by Lt Governor Anil Baijal.

In Puducherry too, a similar situation existed, he said charging the Union Territory's Lt Governor Kiran Bedi with bypassing the elected government and acting 'arbitrarily'.

Kejriwal and AAP ministers Manish Sisodia, Gopal Rai and Satyendar Jain have been staying put at the waiting room of the L-G office in Delhi over their demands, including a direction to IAS officers to end their "strike".

Launching a scathing attack on Bedi, Narayanasamy said she had been adopting "anti-democratic strategies to obstruct" the functioning of the elected government.

"...this was largely due to her desire to get publicity and nothing else," the Congress leader told reporters here.

He also said the time had come for Union Territory to be accorded statehood with special powers.

The chief minister said his government would bring in a resolution in the assembly soon to urge the central government to grant statehood to Puducherry.

He said various political parties, including the DMK and RJD, were supporting the statehood demand.

"Once Puducherry is elevated to the status of a state with special powers, the present 'domineering attitude' of its Lt Governor will come to an end, much to the relief of the people at large," he said.

Narayanasamy accused the Centre of using Bedi to obstruct the functioning of the elected government.

He said it was embarrassing to see Bedi holding meetings with government officials without the knowledge of ministers.

"She (Bedi) has also been intimidating the officials at such meetings and finding fault with their functioning," he alleged, saying despite protests through letters on the style of her functioning, she had not mended her ways.

Bedi and the Congress government here have been locked in confrontations over various issues with the latter objecting to her style of functioning.

Replying to a query, Narayanasamy said he had spoken to the Union Home Secretary to expedite the approval for the draft Puducherry budget for 2018-19.