The Central Government has relieved lieutenant governor Kiran Bedi from her post and has given additional charge to Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundarajan according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson. Assembly elections are slated to be held in April-May this year. This decision to relieve Bedi is the culmination of a long running feud between her and Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy. Her removal came a few days after a delegation led by Chief Minister Narayanasay met President Ram Nath Kovind and submitted a memorandum urging him to recall Bedi. They accused her of acting in an autocratic manner and of interfering in the day-to-day affairs of the elected government and of blocking all welfare and development schemes.
The relationship between Bedi and the Congress government had been tumultuous ever since she assumed office in May 2016. Bedi was accused of failing to re-delegate the enhanced financial powers to the Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues even after a directive from the Home Ministry. She is also said to have cancelled the Puducherry government’s appointment of a retired official as state election commissioner (SEC) and instead ordered for the selection by a transparent and fair process through an all-India advertisement. While the Congress government insisted on providing rice and cloth free of cost to beneficiaries, Bedi insisted on providing cash transfers directly to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.
