Another gubernatorial political appointee of the previous UPA regime is on the way out. In a late evening development on Friday, Puducherry Lt. Governor Virendra Kataria was sacked. A Rashtrapathi Bhavan communiqué said President Pranab Mukherjee directed that Mr. Kataria “shall cease to hold office of the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry.” Lt. General (Retd.) Ajay Kumar Singh, Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar islands, will be the interim Lt. Governor.
Kataria lasted for just a year
Mr. Kataria has been at loggerheads with the N. Rangasamy-led government, since he assumed office, after he refused to clear files on matters over which he disagreed with the government.
Recently, he faced protests in front of the Raj Nivas by parties, which accused him of running a “parallel government.” He was seen to have made an effective case for his continuance for the full term at his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh recently.
A veteran Congressman, Mr. Kataria took over as the 21st Lieutenant Governor in July 2013.
