Defending her decision to enforce the rule making wearing helmets compulsory for motorists in Puducherry, Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi on Thursday said that Chief Minister V Narayanasamy’s wife died in a two-wheeler accident, but he is now calling her decision an autocratic one.
“His wife died in a road accident because she wasn’t wearing a helmet while riding a scooter. That was a few years ago. It is tragic… If I go on the road and I tell people to wear a helmet, he says it’s autocratic,” Bedi told the media.
Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy had on Wednesday staged a protest against Kiran Bedi outside her official residence Raj Nivas. His protest came two days after Bedi hit the road and advised two-wheeler owners to wear helmets.
Hitting out at the protest being led by Narayanasamy, Bedi said that the Puducherry Chief Minister should have waited for her reply after writing a letter on several issues.
“He (CM) wrote a letter to me on February 7 on 36 issues, some of which don’t exist or have been settled. I received it on February 8. Yesterday, he sits on a dharna saying he demands a reply. The letter didn’t say that if you don’t reply by February 13, I will sit on a dharna,” Bedi said.
“I wrote to him (Puducherry CM) a letter that ‘you are welcome to come and see me on February 21 at 10 am, as I am on a tour till February 20 starting today. I will return on February 20 midnight. And tell me what could be more right. He is still sitting there. He isn’t allowing people to wear a helmet. One Puducherry citizen dies every third day. I have asked the police to enforce the decision. He is committing contempt of court and I am only carrying out my duty,” Bedi said.
