Kiran Bedi functioning as BJP agent: Pondy CM

July 05, 2017 18:59

The swearing-in of three members nominated to assembly by Lt Governor Kiran Bedi has come under attack with Chief Minister V Narayanasamy terming it as "murder of democracy" and accusing her of working like a "BJP agent."

Narayanasamy hit out at Bedi for "committing mayhem of democracy by secretly inducting last night three members as nominated legislators."

He told reporters that the induction of the three members -- V Saminathan, BJP's Puducherry unit president, K G Shankar (its treasurer) and S Selvaganapathy (an educationist) -- with "utmost speed and secrecy betrayed the intention of the BJP and the lieutenant governor to act in utter violation of the statutory procedures."

The lieutenant governor "is also functioning like an agent of the Bharatiya Janata party," he said.

Narayanasamy said there is a speaker and an elected assembly and the induction of the members should be done only by the speaker. But Bedi had administered the oath "causing a murder of democracy. This act of the lieutenant governor deserves to be condemned in strongest terms," he said.

The ruling Congress, meanwhile, also extended support to a bandh called by its ally DMK and other parties on July 8, a day after Bedi inducted the three nominated members.

Bedi on her sought to justify her action, saying that the swearing-in of the three nominated members by her was as per the provisions of the Union Territories Act, 1963.

In a WhatsApp message to mediapersons, Bedi said as per the act, the nomination of the three members to Puducherry assembly "is to be done by the Central government."

"It (the Act) only says so and nothing more. The Union home ministry sends the names to Puducherry government which then notifies it as was done by the administration (in the present case)," she said.

The former IPS officer said the oath can be administered to the members by the administrator as was done in this case.

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