Kiran Bedi was removed as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry on Tuesday, 16 February. In her farewell note, Bedi wrote that “whatever was done was a sacred duty”.
Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, who has been given additional charge as the L-G of the Union Territory, received the Warrant of Appointment on Wednesday, 17 February.
"The President has directed that Dr Kiran Bedi shall cease to hold the office of the Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry and has appointed Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, Governor of Telangana, to discharge the functions of the Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry, in addition to her own duties, with effect from the date she assumes charge of her office, until regular arrangements for the office of Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry are made," a statement from the Rashtrapati Bhavan said on Tuesday.
‘A Sacred Duty’
In a letter after her removal, Bedi thanked the government for “a lifetime experience in serving Puducherry”.
“Whatever was done, was a sacred duty, fulfilling my constitutional and moral responsibilities,” she wrote, adding that during her tenure, the team at Raj Niwas had worked for the larger public interest.
The former IPS officer also tweeted a clip of a motivational quote from a cover of a dairy on her table. "Kind heart, fierce mind, brave spirit," it said.
The development comes as the Congress government has lost its majority in Puducherry with the resignation of four MLAs since last month.
These include the resignations of A Namassivayam and E Theeppainjan, who are now part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Malladi Krishna Rao and John Kumar. The fifth leader, N Dhanavelou, was disqualified last year from the Congress for allegedly working against the interests of the party.
The order to remove Bedi has been widely interpreted as a political move by the BJP to weaken Congress’ stronghold in Puducherry, since Assembly elections are set to be held by May.
CM V Narayanasamy on Bedi’s Removal
Chief Minister V Narayanasamy called Bedi’s removal “a victory” on Tuesday evening, since the two of them have been at loggerheads over Bedi’s contribution to Puducherry’s development.
In a conversation with NDTV, the CM said, “It is a victory in our fight for secularism. It is a victory for the people. The people of Puducherry are celebrating the removal of Kiran Bedi.”
He added that Congress leader Malladi Krishna Rao resigned over “Bedi’s harassment,” and told NDTV that he feels confident to persuade Rao whose projects were blocked by Bedi and suggested that this tussle was the reason behind him quitting the party.
The CM also accused the BJP of poaching party leaders in a bid to “topple democratically-elected governments,” the report added.
(With inputs from NDTV)
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