Bedi functions like puppet of BJP, says AICC secretary

AICC secretary Sanjay Dutt on Monday flayed Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi for opposing the stand taken by elected representatives of the union territory over the free rice scheme and said she has been functioning as a 'puppet' of the BJP.

Addressing reporters here, the AICC secretary in- charge of the party affairs in Puducherry, said all the "elected legislators of different political parties" had adopted unanimously a resolution on the floor of the House that ration cardholders should be provided rice instead of cash equivalent to the quantity of the essential commodity. In neighbouring Tamilnadu, only rice was distributed by the state government to cardholders, he said adding that Bedi wants to stop the implementation of the rice scheme by adopting a different stand.

Also, the Congress leader hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying they were diverting the people's attention from the failures of the NDA government on several issues and foisting cases on leaders like former finance minister P Chidambaram and Congress leader in Karnataka D K Shivakumar.

Agencies like the CBI and Enforcement Directorate were being misused by the Central government for 'political vendetta', Dutt said.

Referring to the enforcement of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, he said the practice of imposing hefty fines for violation of road rules was 'anti-people and autocratic' and that awareness should first be created about the Act among the people as has been decided by the Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy.