Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy staged an all night protest sleeping in front of the Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi’s residence, creating a power struggle between the Congress government and the BJP appointed governor.
The idea of Ms. Bedi making wearing helmets compulsory for motorists with immediate effect triggered the conflict, however the Chief Minister wants the rule to be implemented in a phased manner.
Ministers from the Congress and the DMK spent the night with him, he tweeted pictures of him wearing a black shirt and a black veshti or dhoti sleeping on road with thin blankets.
Apart from the hemet row, the Chief Minister demanded approval of Ms. Bedi on 39 government schemes including a free rice scheme.
Narayanasamy told media that, “It is an obstruction by Kiran Bedi on the instruction of Narendra Modi. This is a conspiracy hatched by the Prime Minister using Kiran Bedi to create day-to-day problems for our government.”
Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi wrote a letter to the Chief Minister called the protests unlawful. The Lt. Governor has an appointment scheduled to meet the Chief Minister for the 21st of February, and also said that there are no pending files in the Governor’s office as claimed by the Chief Minister.
The AIADMK opposition broke helmets in the premises of the Puducherry assembly over the mandatory rule.
(The Pigeon Express Opinion– It’s high time that all states make helmets mandatory for riders, including the pillion riders. It might be a pain in the beginning but its essential for their safety. Such rules should’ve been made mandatory when bikes were first introduced to the Indian market. Never late, than never.
Coming to this specific protests I personally see it as drama. However Kiran Bedi is a person who may try to create new bottlenecks, but for the right reasons.)