Can she or can she not? The lieutenant-governor of Puducherry, Kiran Bedi, has declared that she need not consult the state's cabinet in order to take administrative decisions and that she will have a say in the budget. In other words, she can override the elected government of Puducherry if she so wishes. What had started as a presumably low-key ego tussle between the chief minister, V. Narayanasamy, and the lieutenant-governor is threatening to bring the administrative affairs of the Union territory to a standstill in a repeat of similar events in Delhi. There can be no two opinions regarding the fact that the lieutenant-governor of a Union territory has discretionary powers far superior to those vested in the gubernatorial office in other states. The term, 'Union territory', perhaps says it all. The lieutenant-governor, as emissary of the Union authority - technically the authority of the president - is the appointed 'administrator' of the territory. But administration is not the exclusive preserve of the lieutenant-governor's office. Nor can it be done by superseding the role of the elected government in a structure that establishes the latter's legitimacy by the mandate of the people. Whatever the extent and contours of the lieutenant-governor's authority, they could not have been envisaged by the fathers of the Constitution as a rod to break the back of the executive. The two constitutional authorities in a Union territory were expected to work together, not work to undermine each other. Unfortunately, that is precisely what happened in Delhi, and is now happening in Puducherry.

Ms Bedi was a zealous police officer and a well-known civil rights activist till her entry into politics. It is possible that she has little patience with the ponderous and even confusing pace at which the government in office works. She is within her rights to try and reform the system. But her understanding of constitutional principles is deeply flawed if she believes that with the powers bestowed in her office, she can reduce the elected government to a non-entity. By purposely bypassing ministers and setting up a communication line directly with bureaucrats, Ms Bedi is trying to establish a technocracy of sorts. The state government may be wanting in many spheres. Instead of turning the tables on it and seizing absolute control, Ms Bedi should bring to light its failings and allow the people to decide for themselves.