Puducherry CM's dharna against Lt Guv enters 5th day, warns of ‘jail bharo’ from Feb 20
Puducherry, Feb 17: The standoff between Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi is showing no sign of coming to an end as the CM's dharna outside Bedi's home Raj Nivas entered the fifth day on Sunday.
Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy warned his 'dharna' outside Raj Nivas, for Lt Governor Kiran Bedi's approval for his government's proposals on welfare schemes and administrative matters, would intensify into a "jail bharo" agitation from February 20.
As his dharna entered the fifth day on Sunday, Narayanasamy said, "Our protest will continue till our demands, contained in the letter sent to the lt governor on February 7, are met."
He has accused Bedi of not approving his government's 39 proposals for welfare schemes, including a free rice scheme, and on administrative matters.
Dharna outside Kiran Bedi's residence: Puducherry CM sleep outside Raj Nivas
In a letter to Narayanasamy, Bedi has reacted sharply to the public protest and termed his dharna "unlawful". She has offered to discuss all issues with him at a public forum on February 21.
The two have been at loggerheads on various administrative issues since Bedi was appointed LG in May 2016.
On Sunday, the chief minister, his ministers and leaders of the ruling coalition hoisted black flags atop their residences as part of their protest against the lt governor.
"It is unfortunate that we have been pushed to the necessity of hoisting black flags to show our protest," Narayanasamy said, and accepted Bedi's offer to discuss the sticking points "as per her choice of the venue and time".
Claiming
that
Bedi
had
"threatened"
to
take
the
protesters
to
task,
he
said,
"We
will
not
be
cowed
down
by
such
threats
and
we
are
prepared
even
to
court
arrest".
The
chief
minister
said
leaders
of
the
coalition
partners
would
write
letters
to
the
president,
the
prime
minister
and
the
Union
home
minister,
urging
them
to
"recall"
the
LG.
"We will launch a 'jail bharo' agitation on February 20 by holding protests in front of central government institutions and will observe fast outside the Head Post Office on February 21," he said.
He also accused Bedi of spending government funds on attending private functions in Delhi although the former IPS officer "has been making tall claims that austerity should be observed in public life".
Official sources told PTI that Bedi, who was previously scheduled to return to Puducherry on February 20, has cut short her visit to Delhi and is returning on Sunday.
Rapid Action Force personnel have been deployed outside Raj Nivas and in other sensitive areas in Puducherry for a week.