Governor Given Additional Charge Of Puducherry

After President Ram Nath Kovind released orders to remove incumbent Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi from her post yesterday, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan was given additional charge of the UT till more permanent arrangements could be made.

A Rashtrapati Bhavan communique on the matter said, "The President has directed that Dr Kiran Bedi shall cease to hold the office of the Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry, and has directed Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, Governor of Telangana, to discharge the functions of the Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry, in addition to her own duties."

While the statement failed to specify the reason behind Bedi’s removal from the post, according to reports, the BJP-led Centre was unhappy at Bedi's way of discharging her duties as Lieutenant-Governor. Further, her regular confrontations with the elected coalition government of Puducherry had reportedly prompted the Congress to appeal to the President to remove her from her post.

Following the orders, the Governor will reportedly embark on a tour of the UT soon.

Meanwhile, the mass resignation of Congress MLAs from the UT's Assembly, right ahead of the upcoming elections, has left the Congress-led Puducherry government floundering and rather embarrassed. Many have alleged that the BJP deliberately precipitated this upheaval to tilt the scales in its favour in the elections.

Perhaps all is still not lost for India's grand old party, however - party leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi's visit today kicked off the Congress' campaign for the elections, and, who knows, maybe his trip is a harbinger of better things to come.