Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi at a session to mark International Yoga Day
Highlights
- Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, cabinet chose a different yoga event
- There should be no politics on yoga day, said governor Kiran Bedi
- Sources say Congress government feels Kiran Bedi overstepped her brief
Perceived hostility in Puducherry between Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi and the Congress government crept into the International Yoga Day celebrations on Tuesday.
Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and his cabinet skipped a yoga session led by the Lieutenant Governor and reportedly chose to attend a different function, in what was quickly interpreted as a political message.
Governor Bedi downplayed it as she told NDTV: "There should be no politics on yoga day. I am performing my duty earnestly. I'm working the way it ought to be done."
The Congress returned to Puducherry after five years in last month's assembly elections - the only consolation for the party after it lost power in two key states and failed to make an impact in a third.
Days after the election results, Kiran Bedi, who was the BJP's chief ministerial candidate for the 2015 Delhi election, was appointed Puducherry's Lieutenant Governor.
Sources say the Congress government feels Ms Bedi has tried to overstep her brief and interfere with the chief minister's jurisdiction.
Mr Narayanasamy, asked about any disagreement with the governor, had earlier said there would be "no friction" as both are working for a prosperous Puducherry.