Asianet NewsableAsianet Newsable

Puducherry: The territory of two 'chief ministers'

Puducherry: The territory of two 'chief ministers'

The day Kiran Bedi's name was announced as the Lt Governor of Puducherry, an English TV news channel erroneously tweeted the photograph of former India cricket captain and leg spinner Bishen Singh Bedi, with the tweet: '#BREAKING Bedi appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry'.


Well, if you attempt to read the NDA government's mind, the intention clearly was to bowl a googly at the yet-to-be-formed Congress government in the Union Territory. A government was sworn in only on June 6, a good 18 days after the results were announced.

 

And Bedi has hit the ground running the moment she checked into the Raj Bhawan. One of her first orders was to do away with the lal batti culture. 'Sirens shall not be used in the cars of VIPs and traffic will not be stopped for VIP cars'. Displaying her old spark as Delhi's traffic cop, Bedi clearly wants to show that Delhi's loss will be Puducherry's gain. Newly appointed chief minister V Narayanasamy could only meekly announce that he will use his personal vehicle and left it to the cabinet to take a call on Bedi's notification. 

 

Like Bedi, Narayanasamy is a product of the Delhi Durbar, flown into Puducherry. The wily Congress politician, who is called the fox as a tribute to his cunning political nature, lobbied hard to grab the CM's post in the face of intense opposition from within the Puducherry Congress. Narayansamy faces a huge challenge because he did not even contest the assembly elections and faced a violent rebellion when he threw his hat into the ring. 

 

Read more: Puducherry's Mahabharata: For 30 years, this family has battled itself

 

What's more, he has never been rooted in Puducherry's local politics. He has tried to broker peace by making the Puducherry Congress chief and CM aspirant Namassivayam the number two in his cabinet. Vaithialingam, former CM and another contender for the post has been packed off to the House as Speaker. 

 

Narayansamy will hope the weight of Rahul Gandhi, to whom he famously offered his slippers during a visit to flood-ravaged Puducherry last year, will help him in his intra-Congress battles. The choice of Narayanasamy is proof that Congress does not learn its lessons. It is a throwback to the Indira Gandhi days when yes-men from Delhi would be dispatched as chief ministers to states and popular regional satraps snubbed. 

 

Now with reports that no Congress MLA is willing to resign from his or her seat for the CM to contest, Narayanasamy has six months to resolve the 'kissa kursi ka'. While he does that, for Bedi Puducherry provides a great opportunity to be a 'practising CM'. 

 

She has already announced that government employees with grievances can meet her every Saturday and has joined hands with civic workers to remove garbage as part of the Swachh Puducherry mission. Policing of Puducherry, of course, will remain a key interest. 

 

With an active Governor who speaks her mind, the tranquil Union Territory might well be prepared to witness a 'Jung'. Sooner or later, the Puducherry Political League will see a face-off. Arvind Kejriwal will be watching !

Follow Us:
Download App:
  • android
  • ios