New Delhi: Returning the fire amid an undying war of words, Lt Governor Kiran Bedi hit back at Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy who accused her of behaving as if she were the president of the country and urged her to not run a "parallel administration", saying that her office respects all invites from every department.
Talking to the news agency PTI over phone, Narayanasamy had said that as the Lt Governor, Bedi was expected to "abide by rules, regulations and constitutional provisions with the aid and advice of the cabinet, but she was acting to contrary to this"."Let me remind you madam, don't run a parallel administration. Instead respect the elected government and act as per the constitution," he had said.
In response to this, Bedi in a tweet on Tuesday said, "We invite them to be part of celebs & rounds. But they decline to come. Saying 'they need permission' while Lt Gov office respects all invites from any dept any day," further tagging the Twitter handles of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Narayanasamy and Bedi have largely been at loggerheads since she was appointed the LG in May 2016. Both have often accused the other of interfering in their administrative affairs.
On Saturday, days after Narayanasamy's "demon" remark against her, Bedi said he should not expect her to be a "rubber stamp" LG. She said since she assumed the office, the Congress government expected her to toe its line. "Probably they were habituated differently."
On Monday, Narayanasamy clarified his demon remark. "I did not mention her name at all. I was generally telling that some person, who was sent to Puducherry, was blocking the development works. What can I do if she wants to react to that," he said.
Repeating his allegations, he said, "Bedi is interfering in the day-to-day administration and running a parallel government which no governor does. She behaves as if she is the country's president". But "even the president has to go by the aid and advice of the council of ministers", he said.
The Congress dispensation was not expecting her to be like a "rubber-stamp governor" and "sign on the dotted line" as claimed by her, Narayanasamy asserted. "We did not ask her to be so. We only want her to behave like her counterparts in other states with the elected government. But it seems she is not bothered".
On occasions like "freedom run" organised by him to celebrate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary and felicitation function to honour people for their contributions under the corporate social responsibility, she organised parallel events ignoring the official ones, the chief minister said.
The Madras High Court had already "restrained" her from interfering in the day-to-day administration, Narayanasamy said, referring to an April 30,2019, order. He said he would soon write letters to the president, the prime minister and the home minister about her "commissions and omissions" and "seek their intervention to restrain her".
Asked whether he received any response from the Centre to his previous letters, he replied in the negative
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