Kiran Bedi to quit Puducherry Lieutenant Government post in May 2018

Due to growing differences between her and the Congress government in Puducherry, Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi on Saturday said she would quit the post in May 2017 on completion of two years in office.

“I have given myself a tenure here. I shall relinquish my office on May 29, 2018 when I complete two years in Puducherry,” she told.

Bedi said that she has already informed her ‘seniors’ about this.

Her statement comes a day after Congress MLAs shot off a memorandum to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh complaining about Bedi’s style of functioning in the backdrop of her cancelling an order of Chief Minister V Narayanasamy banning officials from using social media for official communication.

The former IPS officer, who was sworn in as the Lt Governor of the Union Territory on May 29, 2016, had initiated several measures including steps to check crimes and corruption and for a garbage-free Puducherry.

There had been differences between her and the government on occasions, though Narayanasamy maintained the ties were cordial.

In an apparent reference to Bedi’s direct interactions with government officials, Narayanasamy had in the past said the elected ministry should not be overlooked.

In August 2016, Bedi had allegedly threatened to quit her post and leave Puducherry over alleged lack of cooperation (from officials) for her clean Puducherry Mission.