PUDUCHERRY: After a long-drawn power struggle between the Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Minister that hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons, the Territorial Administration is planning to revisit Rule 25 of Business Rules for Puducherry Government, 1963, to end all ambiguities by clearly demarcating the power-sharing formula between the Lieutenant Governor, the Chief Minister and the bureaucracy.
The move became necessary after a series of a showdown between Kiran Bedi and Narayanasamy that threatened to tear apart the democratic fabric of the Union Territory.
Replying to demands by the members for adopting a resolution urging the Centre to recall Kiran Bedi, Narayanasamy said that as per Rule 25 of the Business Rules, files pertaining to only 14 subjects needed to be sent for perusal and approval of the Lieutenant Governor.
“These subjects pertain to security, policies and issues concerning the minorities, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes, financial and taxation proposals, matters governing inter-state relations and that with the High Court and Supreme Court,” he explained.
Strict enforcement of Rule 25 would ensure that Bedi’s powers are greatly curtailed, as officials seldom adhere to the provisions of Rule 25 as of now.
Even as the tussle between the elected government and the nominated administrator refuses to die down, Kiran Bedi set the cat among the pigeons again by directing the government to release the temple elephant of Sri ManakulaVinayagar Koil to a sanctuary.
She issued the orders based on a petition filed by the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Already nursing a grouse against Bedi for her interference in the day-to-day governance, leaders cutting across party lines slammed her move, calling it an affront on the religious sentiments.
PETA, citing an inspection report by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), recommended that the elephant is rehabilitated to a sanctuary. The animal rights body raised concerns over the temple elephant’s health and claimed that the pachyderm was “illegally owned” by the temple.
Lakshmi, as the pachyderm is fondly called, is an integral part of the temple rituals. On auspicious days like Vinayaga Charthurthi, Tamil New Year and Bramorshavam, she is brought to the temple in the morning to participate in poojas.
Thousands throng the temple throughout the week and seek Lakshmi’s blessings. Slamming Bedi’s orders, Congress MLA K Lakshminarayanan said the elephant was cared for by the temple authorities for the past 20 years and its association with the temple was a matter of religious belief. Echoing a similar view, DMK Floor Leader R Siva said ordering its release was a move against the faith of the devotees.