Narayanasamy hails SC verdict on Bedi's plea over turf war

Chief Minister of Puducherry V Narayanasamy Friday hailed the ruling of the Supreme Court rejecting the appeal by Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi and Union Home Ministry in the 'power tussle' issue. Bedi and Home Ministry had challenged the verdict of the Madras High Court delivered on May 8 that the Lt Governor could not interfere in the day-to-day activities of the elected government in the Union Territory.

Addressing reporters hours after the Supreme Court delivered its ruling upholding the verdict of the High Court, the Chief Minister said the ruling is a big victory for democracy and for the people of Puducherry. He termed the verdict of the apex court historic. Narayanasamy distributed `laddus` to the legislators and Parliamentary Secretary K Lakshminarayanan and the government whip R K R Anandharaman during the course of the press conference.

Workers of the ruling Congress burst crackers outside the Assembly premises exhibiting their jubilation over the ruling of the apex court rejecting Lt Governor's appeal on routine administrative matters. Narayanasamy said the Parliamentary Secretary had filed a petition in the High Court in April this year challenging the Union Home Ministry`s notifications issued in January and June 2017elevating the powers of the administrator (Lt Governor).

The High Court had allowed the petition of the legislator and set aside the notifications and ruled that the administrator could not interfere in the day to day affairs of the elected government. Kiran Bedi challenged the High Court order in Supreme court in May this year and the apex court Friday dismissed the appeal.

Narayanasamy, who had been at loggerheads with Lt Governor ever since she assumed office in 2016 ,also said that he had been drawing the attention of the Prime Minister all these three years to `the style of functioning of Kiran Bedi putting obstacles to the decisions of the elected government.' "I have also pleaded with the Prime Minister to recall Kiran Bedi as Lt Governor. I hope he would listen to the plea now," he said. Narayanasamy wished that Kiran Bedi discharged her duties within the statutory limits.

Kiran Bedi who was away in Delhi said in her whatsapp message that she was yet to read the orders of the supreme court on the appeal against the order of the Madras high court `relating to powers and functions of the Administrator (Lt Governor)`. She said she could not, therefore, makeany comment as yet.

She however stated in her message that she would reiterate that for her the interest of the people of Puducherry shall remain uppermost. Earlier in the day, the apex court refused to extend its order restraining the Puducherry government from implementing any cabinet decisions having financial implications and asked the Centre to move the Madras High Court with its plea on alleged power tussle between the chief minister and the Lt Governor..

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