Puducherry Minister continues dharna against Lt Governor

Puducherry Welfare Minister MKandasamy on Monday continued his dharna for the second day,protesting the alleged delay on the part of Lt Governor KiranBedi in approving scheme-related files pertaining to hisdepartment.

A day after he launched the protest all of a sudden onthe premises of the union territory assembly, the Minister,who spent the night sleeping on the corridor, said he had sent15 files on various proposals to Bedi, seeking disposal ofthem after discussions with him.

Bedi had, however, informed him she would first acquaintherself with the status of the matters raised by him withofficials concerned and would communicate the date of ameeting, he told reporters here.

Apparently irked by the Lt Governor's stand, the Ministerhas resorted to the dharna.

Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, who met Kandasamy onMonday, hit out at the Lt Governor, accusing her ofoverstepping her limits and blocking schemes approved in thePuducherry budget.

Defending the protest by the Minister, he alleged all theproposals forwarded to Bedi for approval were either kept incold storage or the files returned to the government.

''The Lt Governor is overstepping her limits and acts inan utterly unauthorised manner hindering implementing severalschemes,'' he told reporters.

Referring to the three-day agitation seeking recall ofBedi, the chief minister said a series of protests would belaunched from the last week of this month and their demand wasthat she should ''go back''.

Kandasamy said the proposals sent by him included stepsto reopen the closed textile mills-AFT, Swadeshi and SriBharathi Mills.

Development of the port here was among other issues hehad raised for clearance by the Lt Governor, the Ministeradded. PTI CORR SSVS VS