Puducherry CM dubs as 'lie' Lt Governor Kiran Bedi's remarks

Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Tuesday dubbed as a "lie" and "crude joke" Lt Governor Kiran Bedi's statement that she redressed 50,000 complaints of the public in her four years in office here. The office of the Lt Governor "is not a bureau to receive public complaints" and it was 'unbelievable' that she settled such large number of grievances, he said, alleging that the former IPS officer had done "utmost disservice" to the people.

The senior Congress leader said he could not help laughing when he read in the media about Bedi's claims on resolving public complaints. "I am really amused to see through media reports that she had stated that she had settled 50,000 complaints from public.

It is a crude joke`, Narayanasamy, who has been at loggerheads with Bedi on various issues during the past four years, said. Addressing in a video conference with representatives of different sectors on the occasion of her completing four years in office on May 30, Bedi had said Raj Nivas settled 50,000 grievances submitted during the daily public hearing seeking her intervention to the 'satisfaction' of the complainants.

Raj Nivas had been a "people's Nivas" and Grievances Redressal officer S Baskaran assigned with the task of receiving the complaints from the people, she had added. Joining issue with Bedi, Narayanasamy said "This claim on her part is unbelievable and is a clear case of lies." Bedi had "done utmost disservice to the people and how she had been functioning ignoring democratically elected government was known to all political parties and leaders and also to the common man," he claimed.

He also levelled his oft-repeated allegation that Bedi was hampering implementation of several welfare schemes all these four years, a charge rejected by her on several occasions. The Chief Minister said the Madras High Court had recently pointed out that the Lt Governor could not act independently and if there were any differences with the elected government on any issue she must refer it to the President.

"The Lt Governor has no constitutional right to interfere in the routine administration of the government," he reiterated. Narayanasamy accused Bedi of having totally ignored the basic tenets of democracy, constitution and the rights of the people during her tenure so far.

He also said loans were made available by the government in association with banks here to women self-help groups during the current lockdown period for revival of economic activities..

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