Times of India: Puducherry: Thursday, July 17, 2014.
A day before
leaving the Union territory of PuducherryVirendraKataria, who was removed from
the post of lieutenant governor, said he would use "all necessary means,
including RTI" to find the reasons for his ouster. "I am fighter. I
will file an RTI to find out the reasons for my removal. RTI is the best tool.
I am a lawyer. I will examine it with the help of other legal experts," he
said.
Speaking to
reporters on Wednesday at Raj Nivas, Kataria said after the change of guard at
the Centre, change of governors of various states were on the cards. "The
Union government has no hand in it (his removal). My case was not on their
(central government) agenda, at least for six more months. But the Centre was
pressurized by many forces (to recall him), which I don't want to elaborate
upon," he said.
Opinion was
divided about change of governors when a new regime assumed charge. "One
section says we are political appointees and we must go while some others says
it is a constitutional post and it should not be like that. The Supreme Court
has said change in government has nothing to do with change of governor,"
said Kataria.
He wondered
how the local BJP leaders, who had submitted more than 100 petitions accusing
Rangasamy of various misdeeds, changed their stand overnight after BJP emerged
victorious and formed the government in the Centre. "Overnight they (local
BJP leaders) were against me. It was political compulsion," he said.
Earlier, dozens of cadres of AINRC picketed Raj Nivas raising slogans against
Kataria for levelling charges against the ruling party. Policemen detained and
released them later. AIADMK MLA A Anbalagan sought a CBI inquiry into the
allegations levelled by Kataria.
His genuine
initiatives in getting a direction from the Madras high court for a judicial
probe into the frequent suicides and sexual harassment of students in private
professional colleges was among the several factors that led to a tug-of-war
with the AINRC government. The Rangasamy government defied his advice on
appointing women directors for the directorates of school education and higher
education in an effort to curb sexual harassment of girl students, he said.
"The
decisions taken by the government in seven or eight cases (including the
frequent suicides of students and sexual harassment of girl students in
government schools) were totally unjust. It was for the cause of justice I advised
the government," he said. He said 'certain people' were against the arrest
of people accused in forcing a student of private college to commit suicide. He
said he approached the Madras high court with petitions of parents of student
victims and the court ordered a judicial inquiry into all cases of suicides and
sexual harassment.
He said he
pitied his critics' knowledge on constitution as they accused him of
interfering in administrative affairs when he was actually discharging his
duties.
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