Bedi hits back at Pondy CM over Singapore visit

Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi on Wednesday hit back at Chief Minister V Narayanasamy over his claim that he visited Singapore recently with the Centre's approval, saying it was "grossly misleading and only a self-appraisal." Bedi had raised several questions on the visit by Narayanasamy and his ministerial colleague M O H F Shah Jahan and DMK MLA R Siva and alleged the chief minister had failed to adopt statutory procedures before flying to Singapore. Narayanasamy and the two others had been on a 'private five-day visit' to Singapore from November 6 on an invitation from entrepreneurs and infrastructure promoters to seek investments in Puducherry.

The chief minister had on on Tuesday slammed Bedi for making remarks over his Singapore trip "out of ignorance" and said he had obtained the Centre's approval for it. The Lt Governor said she had no information of his visit and wanted to know whether he had prior approval from the Centre before flying to the island nation.

Narayanasamy on his return to Puducherry, however, told reporters on Tuesday he had prior approval from the Prime Minister and had political clearance from the External Affairs Minister. The Lt Governor in her WhatsApp message said, "the claim of the Chief Minister is grossly misleading. I am sorry to say so. This was a self-appraisal. You recommended and appraised by self which is not the spirit...." The former IPS officer who has been at loggerheads with the chief minister on various administrative matters since she took over as the Lt Governor in 2016, said the "clearance the Chief Minister had pointed out is only the beginning of the clearance process and not the end of it." Bedi also wanted the Chief Minister "to make public the details of his recent visit to Dubai as people have a right to know it." "With whose approval did the Chief Minister visit Dubai?" she asked.

The Lt Governor also sought details of foreign trips a Puducherry Minister had made to Sri Lanka in the recent past. Bedi said the Chief Minister "may have to explain to the Government of India now." PTI COR SS SS.

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