Puducherry CM to meet President, seek recall of Lt Governor Kiran Bedi: Report

Agriculture minister R Kamalakannan, welfare minister M Kandasamy, health minister Malladi Krishna Rao and the only member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) from Puducherry V Vaithilingam would also be accompanying the CM, sources said.

Puducherry chief minister V Narayanasamy, who was earlier scheduled to meet President Ram Nath Kovind in Delhi on Thursday, will now meet him on Friday and handover a petition seeking recall of Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, news agency PTI reported.

Agriculture minister R Kamalakannan, welfare minister M Kandasamy, health minister Malladi Krishna Rao and the only member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) from Puducherry V Vaithilingam would also be accompanying the CM, sources said.

Narayanasamy leads the Congress-led Secular Democratic Alliance (SDA) government in Puducherry.

Earlier this month, he along with Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president A V Subramanian, various ministers, Congress legislators and delegates of different wings of the CPI, CPI(M) and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) held an agitation against the 'negative attitude' of the Lt Governor towards proposals submitted by the government for her approval.

"She is not allowing the elected government to function and is interfering in day-to-day administration," Narayanasamy had said.

This is not the first time that a protest against Bedi, spearheaded by the chief minister, is being held in Puducherry. In February 2019, an agitation was held to push for the demands of reopening the closed industries and public sector undertakings and also for smooth operation of the free rice scheme.

Meanwhile, Narayanasamy on Thursday presented a memorandum to Union minister of state for power R K Singh in Delhi, registering his government's protest against the Centre's move to privatise distribution of power in the Union Territory, a source close to the chief minister told PTI.

(with PTI inputs)