Puducherry CM Narayanasamy announces huge dharna from January 8 to shunt LG Kiran Bedi out

PUDUCHERRY: Chief Minister of Puducherry V Narayanasamy announced on Sunday that the Congress-led Secular Democratic Alliance would stage a dharna to urge the Centre to recall Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi.

The indefinite protest would be held from January 8 in front of Raj Niwas, the office-cum-residence of Bedi, till she is sent out of the Union Territory, he said.

Kick-starting a campaign in neighbouring Kalapetto mobilise people's support for the dharna, he said, "We are not bothered about our posts and positions and we will face any consequence."

He said he and his ministerial colleagues, legislators, leaders and workers of all parties affiliated to the Secular Democratic Alliance would take part in the dharna.

"We seek support and participation of the people in the dharna and the stir will continue till Kiran Bedi runs away from Puducherry," he said.

The Chief Minister, who has been at loggerheads with the Lieutenant Governor on several issues, alleged that the NDA government at the Centre was also keen on dismantling the separate status of Puducherry and merge it with neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

Dubbing Bedi as an enemy of the people of Puducherry and traitor affecting the development of Puducherry, the Chief Minister said, "All our proposals to improve the welfare of the people are rejected by Kiran Bedi although there is a court verdict preventing her from intervening in the routine administration and governance."

He alleged that welfare schemes like free rice scheme, assistance to students, developmental programmes for fishermen and jobs for the youth were blocked by the Lieutenant Governor.

He said the stir should be as massive as the one the farmers were staging across the country, particularly in Delhi, for repeal of the farm laws.

The Chief Minister said he and his Cabinet colleagues, legislators and leaders of parties of the alliance had observed dharna in February 2018.

"Only a few of our demands projected through dharna were fulfilled and we are now reviving the stir to seek shunting out of Bedi from Puducherry," he said.