Pondy CM leads SDA allies, sans DMK, in fast demanding recall of Bedi

Puducherry, Feb 5 (PTI): Chief Minister of Puducherry VNarayanasamy led the political parties in the SecularDemocratic Alliance (SDA), barring the DMK, in the day-longfast here on Friday to press for the recall of LieutenantGovernor Kiran Bedi.

Welfare Minister M Kandasamy, Industries Minister M O HF Shah Jahan, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) VVaithilingam, PCC leader A V Subramanian and leaders of thedifferent parties took part in the protest.

They all urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to recallthe Lieutenant Governor as she had allegedly been impedingdevelopmental schemes of the territorial government.

Although the DMK had been supporting the Congressgovernment here from outside none of the leaders of theDravidian party participated in the fast.

DMK has been distancing itself for the last few monthsfrom agitations and protests organised by the rulingCongress.

The Congress and other parties of the alliance had helda three-day protest seeking the recall of Bedi, from January8.

With the exit of PWD Minister A Namassivayam on January25 from the Congress party to the BJP, the strength of theNarayanasamy-led Ministry is five.

Tourism Minister Malladi Krishna Rao was also conspicuousby his absence in the fast.

The Chief Minister had announced recently that a state-wide bandh would be observed on February 16 to reiterate thedemand that either Bedi should quit Puducherry on her own orthe Centre should intervene and recall her as she had beenallegedly intervening in the routine administration of theelected government.

''Our agitation will go on till the Centre recalled KiranBedi,'' Narayanasamy had said.

Meanwhile, a delegation of leaders from the Congress andthe other parties would meet the President Ram Nath Kovind inDelhi on February 10 to submit the papers containing thesignatures the Congress had collected from the public duringthe campaign seeking the recall of Bedi. PTI CorNVG NVG