Bedi, AIADMK MLA in spat at govt function

Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi and an AIADMK MLA were locked in a war of words Tuesday after the legislator was asked to cut short his speech as he 'exceeded' the time allotted at a government function.

Bedi accused A.Anbalagan of being rude and claimed she had witnessed similar 'misbehaviour' by him in the past, while the MLA, who left the venue in a huff, met Assembly Speaker V Vaithilingam and drew his attention to the incident.

"He went on and on beyond reasonable time when there was long programme to follow... rejected the request to stop and continued to be rude," Bedi charged in a WhatsApp message.

Talking to reporters, the MLA claimed he had been insulted and slammed Bedi, asking "is the Lt Governor a Princess in Puducherry?"

The incident occurred in the presence of a couple of ministers during the government function to declare Puducherry open defecation free with Bedi as the chief guest.

The Lt Governor later made the declaration and distributed certificates .