Kiran Bedi invites Narayanasamy for discussion on Monday evening after he withdraws conditions

PUDUCHERRY: Lieutenant governor Kiran Bedi invited chief minister V Narayanasamy and his cabinet colleagues for a meeting at 5pm on Monday at Darbar Hall in Raj Nivas to discuss in detail on the issues raised by him after he withdrew the conditions he laid earlier to attend the meeting.

Bedi said the chief secretary, all secretaries, officer on special duty and private secretary to the lieutenant governor will attend the meeting. She said the agenda of the meeting will be his letter to her dated February 7. She said she was pleased that the chief minister has withdrawn the conditions he laid to attend a meeting called by her at 6pm on Sunday.

“I also kindly invite you and your cabinet colleagues for an early dinner,” she said.

Narayanasamy relaxed his stance on Sunday night and came forward to attend a meeting at a place and time decided by Bedi to settle the issues raised by him. However, the chief minister insisted the presence of chief secretary, all secretaries concerned and heads of the departments in the meeting to ensure that all ‘public issues’ are resolved on time and on the spot. He sent a letter to Bedi conveying his decision on Sunday night.

Narayanasamy in his previous letter to Bedi on Sunday afternoon laid a few conditions demanding her to hold the meeting at the conference hall of the chief secretariat and not at Raj Nivas. He also demanded that her consultant/officer on special duty (Theva Neethi Dhas) must not attend the meeting. Bedi had invited him and his cabinet colleagues for a meeting at 6pm on Sunday at Raj Nivas.

Irked over the conditions, Bedi in her reply said it appeared to her that the chief minister wanted ‘to stretch the matter unduly’ as it suits him ‘‘politically’.

Relaxing his stance, Narayanasamy in his letter on Sunday night said, "…we are ready to accept your good-self venue and time of our discussion to settle the issues raised through my letter dated February 7. But we want the chief secretary, all the concerned secretaries and HoDs to be present for the meeting so that public issues are resolved on time and on the spot.”

On Bedi’s comment that she had called for a discussion to clear his doubts, Narayanasamy said he does not have any doubts on the issues he raised, “I want to resolve the issues amicably for the welfare of the people. The tone and tenor of the letter are as if to clear the doubts is not correct. The issues mentioned in the letter is not political and it is purely administrative in nature. But seems that you want to have a new political mileage from these issues,” he said.

The chief minister took a jibe on her declaring that she has ‘clear prejudices’ on all the issues raised by him even before the discussion. “…after reading your good-self letter I am able to understand that you are sitting with clear prejudices and decisions on the issues raised by me before discussion. But still we believe with grace of Almighty and wish of the people, we can convince you on the public sentiments on each issue during the discussion,” he said.

He took exception on Bedi's comment terming the ongoing dharna as ‘laying siege to Raj Nivas’. He said her comments are ‘false and politically-motivated’. “Raj Nivas remains as protected as it was and will remain protected’. It is just the cabinet is now working and sitting in dharna before the Raj Nivas in a Gandhian approach,” he said.

Narayanasamy said the tone of Bedi’s letter further established his claim that Puducherry is ruled by a person, who believes ‘I am the Government’. “But I would like to thank you good-self for remembering that you are the Hon’ble LG for Puducherry and also for returning back to Puducherry after cancelling your public engagements to sort out the public issues of Puducherry,” he said.