Kiran Bedi, who was the former IPS officer, was removed from the role of Lt Governor of Puducherry on Tuesday. This sudden move was since her authoritative work irked many people.
Chief Minister Narayanasmay was at loggerheads with her regarding her interference in the matters of the state government. He cited a chapter of Rule of Business of Government of Puducherry, stating the responsibilities of the CM and the LG. It says that the LG has to act upon the advice of the state government. This means that unlike the Governor of Delhi, the governor of Puducherry has no control over the law and order of the Union Territory. All of them lie in the hands of the Chief Minister.
In 2018 during the Supreme Court judgement, there was a rift between them. The judgement was about the allocation of legislative and executive powers between the Delhi government and the central government.
He stated that under Article 240 if there is a properly elected government in a state, the president has no authority to interfere with the working of the union territory ( Puducherry). Therefore the governor who is a representative of the president does not have much power over the laws and regulation of the state.
On the other hand, BJP officials say that they are using Bedi to capitalise on the opportunity in the upcoming elections in Tamil Nadu. In fact, recently, former party president Rahul Gandhi attacked for her high pitched speech on Wednesday at the UT. Congress is portraying her as an uptight cop who is a puppet of BJP residing in Raj Nivas, according to another party member.
From the perspective of Kiran Bedi, she wanted to bring change to the system. She did not want to be a mere governor who reaps the benefits of the facilities provided. However, by the looks of it, her ideas only look good on paper, not in reality. She would go to the streets in order to monitor the traffic over there. With this, Naryanasmay was annoyed to the extent that he complained it to President Ram Nath Kovid. His grievances were heard and Bedi was relieved from her duty.
In replacement of her, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararaja will resume as the Lt Governor of Puducherry. She will be an understudy to her predecessor until a new one is appointed.
