Sir — The removal of Kiran Bedi as the lieutenant-governor of Puducherry must have come as a great relief not only for the chief minister, V. Narayanasamy, but also for a large section of the people of the Union territory who were fed up with the tantrums of Bedi who put spokes in the functioning of the elected government and scuttled all welfare measures announced by the government (“Kiran Bedi sacked”, Feb 17). Right from the day of her appointment to the day of her removal, she exhibited only a confrontational attitude and animosity towards the government and did everything that made one believe that she was less of a constitutional head and more of an active member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, vociferously promoting the interests of the saffron party. However, she, with her autocratic and arrogant moves, has done such damage to the BJP in the Union territory that it is going to reflect in the upcoming regional elections.
It is unfortunate that the BJP government at the Centre has decided to remove Bedi from the gubernatorial post only after allowing her to continue with her anti-government activities that have brought the Puducherry government to a grinding halt. If it were really interested in the welfare of the people of the Union territory, it would have sacked her long back.
The president, Ram Nath Kovind, who deserves appreciation for his decision to remove Bedi, should not commit another mistake by making her the governor of any other non-BJP state. She has clearly proved during her stay in the Raj Nivas that she does not deserve to hold any constitutional post or, for that matter, any tall position in the government.
Tharcius S. Fernando,
Chennai
Sir — There is little reason to rejoice the fact that Kiran Bedi has been removed from the position of lieutenant-governor of Puducherry. Clearly, the BJP understands that the people have been displeased with Bedi for long. Removing her before the elections is only a ploy to earn the trust of the electorate.
Pradyut Sinha,
New Delhi
Stand together
Sir — In Thailand, the artist, ‘Headache Stencil’, has put up a controversial exhibition criticizing the clampdown on dissenters by the authorities — 58 activists have been charged with insulting the royalty at protests since November. While the state of freedom in this monarchy is worrying, one wonders if the situation in New India, a democracy, is too different. Many artists, even comedians, are being persecuted for their dissenting views. The people must stand by such artists just as they have taken a stand for the people.
Reba Guha,
Calcutta
