Bedi can’t override govt proposal: Pondy CM

 Puducherry: Stepping up the attack on Lt Governor Kiran Bedi for 'restricting' the availability of Pongal gift hampers to 'below poverty line' families, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Tuesday said she has "no authority" to take a decision contrary to the proposal of the elected government.

Talking to reporters here, Narayanasamy, who has been at loggerheads with Bedi on various administrative matters, said, "she is only misusing her authority and acting to the detriment of the people by taking a decision contrary to the proposal of elected government."

Coming down heavily on Bedi, the Chief Minister said she "does not deserve" to be the incumbent of the gubernatorial post as she had been taking "arbitrary decisions" contrary to the proposals of the government.  The cabinet does not accept the modification made by the Lt Governor to the Pongal gift scheme.  "She takes arbitrary decisions and people are put to sufferings by her stand on welfare schemes," he alleged.

"When she sent the file to the government with specific contention that only BPL families should be handed the Pongal gifts and those coming under APL and AAY categories would not be eligible for it, I had returned the file to her registering our protest against her arbitrary decision," he said.

Narayanasamy noted that Pongal gift hamper scheme was decided by the cabinet to ensure its benefits reached all categories as had been done in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

The Lt Governor's contention that operation of the scheme would mean heavy expenditure for the government was "misleading and is an utter lie," he alleged.  He charged the Lt Governor with hiding the facts to justify her stand.

  Noting that any difference of opinion between the Lt Governor and the government on the implementation of the welfare schemes should be referred to the Council of Ministers, Narayanasamy said the former has no authority to adopt a totally "improper and arbitrary approach."

Puducherry would witness a "big change" sooner than later and all "current sufferings and embarrassment" of the people would come to an end, he claimed without elaborating.