Kiran Bedi was on Tuesday removed as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, reported ANI. Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has been given the additional charge as Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. Earlier on Tuesday, Congress legislator A John Kumar, a close confidant of Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy resigned from his MLA post. According to PTI, Kumar became the fourth Congress lawmaker to quit the party ahead of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Puducherry on Wednesday to kick-start the Congress poll campaign.

The UT government is in crisis as former Puducherry health minister Malladi Krishna Rao had resigned from the post of MLA on Monday.

Earlier Puducherry CPI Secretary AM Salim called for Bedi’s removal and told ANI, “She stopped all welfare schemes. She’s acting against welfare scheme, Puducherry development scheme and Union Territory Act.”

A four-day protest in the UT saw support from other opposition parties and senior leaders of alliance partners CPI, CPI(M), VCK. Protestors were seen carrying posters and placards, reading “Go Back Bedi” and “Bedi you go go”.

Bedi’s removal comes after a continuing power feud between her and Puducherry CM Narayanasamy.  Narayanasamy, who has been accusing Bedi of halting development plans, took the demonstration to the roads as the agitation entered its third day.