Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi defends her field visits, hours after CM's diatribe

As the Congress government stepped up it's attack on her over her style of functioning,Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi today defended her periodic field visits to review government schemes, saying it was 'most rewarding, most energising and most refreshing.'

"Going to departments and sitting with the rank and file, reviewing and thinking together helps a mutual lift as it did in the visit to PWD. Such visits are most rewarding, most energising and most refreshing," she said in a tweet.

Her tweet came hours after Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said he would soon meet the President and Prime Minister to apprise them of her 'undemocratic' working style.

Bedi had yesterday camped at the office of the PWD Chief Engineer, along with the Secretary and other officials of the Department and of Raj Nivas (office of Lt Governor).

She reviewed projects executed and also scheduled for implementation and steps the department should take up for infrastructure development

Bedi in a WhatsApp message later said she had invited PWD Minister A Namassivayam for next review meeting in the department in the last week of February and that he had accepted it

Earlier, Narayanasamy told reporters that he would soon meet the President and Prime Minister to apprise them of the "undemocratic style of functioning" and her 'interference' in the routine administration.

"I will head a team of my ministerial colleagues and MLAs to meet the President, the Prime Minister, Home Minister and leaders of various political parties soon and apprise them of the style of functioning of Bedi."

he said he would also discuss the unabated violation of statutory provisions in discharging her (Bedi) duties and "interfering in the routine administration by elected ministry."

"Whenever differences arise between the Lt Governor and the government on any matter, the concerned files should be sent to the President for final decision as had been prescribe prescribed in the statute relating to administration of Puducherry," he noted.

On Bedi's visit to the PWD office and meeting with the officials yesterday, he said she has no right to make such visits and hold review meetings and that by doing so, she was 'causing insult' and 'disrespect' to the elected government Narayanaswamy said he had written several times to Bedi stating that she could only bring any routine matter of the government to his notice or that of the Ministers concerned.

Except the Tamil Nadu Governor,no other head of state or Union Territory was visiting government departments and holding review meetings as Bedi was doing now, he claimed.

The Congress government and Bedi have been at loggerheads over several issues, including medical admissions and induction of three nominated MLAs, ever since she assumed office in 2016.