Kiran Bedi indicts BJP for ‘stinking, jammed Delhi’

Her Twitter handle is appropriately @theKiranBedi! The former police officer and currently the occupant of the Raj Bhavan in Puducherry as its Lt Governor does have an exalted opinion of herself. And, she could barely resist wading into the municipal elections in Delhi.

She denies campaigning for any political party. She says she is campaigning for the national capital but makes no secret of who she believes is responsible for the mess in Delhi.

On Monday, she tweeted:

There was outrage on social media on whether someone who holds a Constitutional office should get involved in ‘politics’ after she tweeted the following:

Did she ask people in Delhi to vote for the BJP? Punith wondered: LG of another state campaigns for BJP in Delhi.... Media doesn’t care???

There were sarcastic comments too. Referring to Bedi’s comment that Delhi ‘stinks’, people were quick to remind her that the Muncipal Corporation of Delhi is run by the BJP for the last 10 years.

Tweeted Suyash Bakliwal: Mam all of this is given by the corrupt MCD run by BJP. So, is this tweet of yours an appeal to vote @AamAadmiParty in the coming elections?

Gurpreet Singh tweeted: “Mata ji is sarcastic. Go through the tweet. She is campaigning against BJP. She said Delhi stinks because of BJP ruled MCD.”

“You are misusing your position. Better resign and fight in Delhi to taste defeat once again. Unbecoming of governor,” Arvind Kumbakonam tweeted in response to Bedi’s tweet: “Delhi stinks. Delhi is jammed. Delhi is shrill. Delhi is at war not work..Pl put it back to work, friends. It's our Rajdhani. It’s NOW..”

The tweets around the MCD election in Delhi has sharpened the growing tension between her and the elected government of Puducherry. Bedi is being accused of sitting over several state government anouncements and welfare programmes. She has apparently not allowed the Puducherry government’s proposal to write off farm loans given by cooperative societies, prompting Puducherry Congress to tweet the following :

Another tweet alleges that she has rejected several proposals and lists them such as

• Waiving of cooperative loans to farmers
• Scholarship money to Scheduled Caste students
• Approval of tourism projects
• Freedom fighters’ pensions
• Old age pension door-to-door distribution
• Rain relief for Yanam
• Relief fund for fishermen affected at Yanam

While the Congress believes the Lt Governor is deliberately not allowing the elected government to work, Bedi believes she is upholding public interest and being upright. Though there are those who question her credentials with the hashtag #GobackBedi.

A Twitter user wondered how she had approved “all files pertaining to Pondicherry University where crores of rupees are being looted? Whereas dozens of files of government benefitting the people of UT are gathering dust. Varsity VC has become your friend, fanning your ego.”

Puducherry Congress tweeted: “You must be aware of the NIRF 2017 rating of Pondicherry University. Ranking has fallen from 13 to 37. … Will you take responsibility for downfall of 32-year-old university?

In another tweet the party alleged “Rs 75 lakh spent for convocation of Pondicherry University approved by LG Dr Kiran Bedi. Cycling to suburbs followed by her coterie in lalbatti cars. Stay in luxury hotel at Tarangampadi instead of government guest house in Karaikal (sic).”