Chief Minister of Puducherry V Narayanasamy on Thursday accused Liuetenant Governor Kiran Bedi of intimidating and pressuring officers of the government-owned AFT Mill here and giving directions to them to close the century-old mill.
Addressing a meeting of the ruling Congressmen to celebrate the 123rd birth anniversary of freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the Chief Minister said the cabinet, headed by him, had taken a decision that the AFT Mill should never be closed.
"Workers opting for the voluntary retirement scheme should be given it and at no cost should the mill be closed," he said.
The Lieutenant Governor, however, had allegedly taken a unilateral decision directing the officers to close the mill.
"The Lt Governor is also pressuring and intimidating the officers and the AFT Mill management directing them to close the undertaking of the territorial government," he said.
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Narayanasamy recalled that he, along with his cabinet colleagues and leaders of the allies, had held a dharna in front of the Raj Nivas, the office of the Lt Governor, in February last for six days pressing for as many as 38 demands.
"The first demand in the schedule placed before the Lt Governor during the dharna related to the decision of the government to ensure that the mill continued to operate and the workers intending to go for VRS be granted it," he said.
Narayanasamy further said the Lt Governor was relentless in her stand that the mill be closed.
"The difference of opinion on the mill issue between the Lt Governor and the government has been referred to the Centre for its decision," he said.
"Even before the Centre's decision is known the Lt Governor had taken upon herself the authority to direct the officers of the mill to go in for its closure," he said.
This is a clear case of Kiran Bedi acting in an utterly unjustified manner inflicting hardship on the workers, he said and added that "there is, therefore, an immediate need for the Centre to recall Kiran Bedi as Lt Governor as she functions in an 'arbitrary manner affecting the welfare of the people and also industrial workers.'
PCC president and PWD Minister A Namassivayam, Revenue and Industries Minister M O H F Shah Jahan and leaders of different wings of the ruling Congress were among those present.
The managing director of AFT Mill had proposed through a notification recently under the provisions of Industrial Disputes Act 1947 that the mill be closed with effect from April 30 and cited the various reasons for the proposal for the closure of the mill.
The mill was set up during the French regime here in a private sector.
With the mill facing critical situation in 1980s the territorial government intervened and took it over through a specially floated Textiles Corporation in 1985.
Over the last few years, the mill has run into rough weather necessitating continued heavy investments by the administration.
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