Kejriwal lends support to Narayansamy's protest against Lt guv Kiran Bedi

Voicing the demand for statehood for the national capital and Puducherry, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Monday alleged that the BJP-led NDA government was trying to suppress democracy and claimed the situation in the two union territories was the same.

"The kind of ruthlessness with which the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre is trying to suppress democracy all over the country is unprecedented," Kejriwal said.

Expressing solidarity with his Puducherry counterpart V Narayanasamy, who is locked in a turf war with Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, Kejriwal alleged that the Lt Governors of New Delhi and Puducherry have been interfering in routine administration of the elected governments.

Demanding statehood for both the national capital and Puducherry, the Aam Aadmi chief said people in these two union territories should not be discriminated against.

Narayanasamy, his cabinet colleagues and MLAs from both the Congress and the DMK have been staging a dharna against Bedi in front of the Raj Nivas in Puducherry since February 13 in protest against her "negative stand" towards various proposals of the territorial government.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Narayanasamy, whose protest has entered its ninth day Monday, Kejriwal expressed concern that under the BJP-led dispensation "chief ministers of West Bengal and Puducherry are sitting in dharnas and this is an absolutely shocking scenario."
He also alleged that Bedi and the Lt Governor in Delhi have been appointed with specific mandate by the NDA government "to interfere in the day-to-day administration of the union territories and also not to permit them to function."
Welcoming Kejriwal, Narayanasamy said statehood was the only solution to help Puducherry overcome the current difficulties in running the government "because of the Lt Governor's interference."
Earlier on arrival at Chennai airport en route to Puducherry, Kejriwal said, "The LG of Puducherry is creating a lot of obstacles in the development work and creating problems for the elected government. We are facing exactly similar problems in Delhi."