The Lt. Governor of Puducherry violated every established norm and tradition to swear in three defeated BJP candidates as nominated MLAs in the dead of night yesterday, Congress spokesperson Sushmita Dev said at a press conference.

NEW DELHI (IANS) — The Congress on Wednesday demanded the resignation of West Bengal Governor K.N. Tripathi and Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi for “misusing” their constitutional offices.

It accused Bedi of having sworn in three lawmakers illegally “in the dead of night”.

“The Lt. Governor of Puducherry violated every established norm and tradition to swear in three defeated BJP candidates as nominated MLAs in the dead of night yesterday,” Congress spokesperson Sushmita Dev said at a press conference.

Citing the act as a “flagrant” violation of the “provisions of Rules of Business of Government of Puducherry 1963, framed under section 46 of the Government of Union Territory Act”, she called Bedi “a political puppet subserving the interest of BJP” and not of the Constitution.

Bedi had sworn in BJP’s Puducherry unit President V. Swaminathan, the state unit treasurer K.G. Shankar, and RSS member Selvaganapathy.

The Congress also attacked other BJP-appointed Governors, charging them with “using the august office” for the BJP’s “conspiratorial machinations”.

Dev targeted the West Bengal Governor, for a “disrespectful, distasteful, and overbearing conduct” towards Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Banerjee had on Tuesday alleged receiving a highhanded telephone call from Tripathi, which she called “insulting” and “humiliating”, in the wake of eruption of violence in 24 North Paraganas’ Basirhat.

Tripathi in a statement issued later dismised the allegations as “an attempt to cover the lapses of the state government and divert the attention from the main issue of law and order”.

The Congress has demanded the resignation of both functionaries for, what it called, a compromise on “the basic tenets of Constitutional propriety”.

It also trained its guns on former Meghalaya Governor V. Shanmuganathan accusing him of “running a ‘ladies club’ out of Raj Bhavan”. Shanmuganathan resigned in January this year over the same charges.

Other Governors who were accused by the party of infractions in their conduct during their tenure were Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, Manipur Governor Najma Heptullah, former Arunachal Pradesh Governor J.P. Rajkhowa, and Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy.