Puducherry CM V Narayanasamy, Lt Governor Kiran Bedi finally sit down to talk

After six days of sitting on 'dharna' outside Raj Nivas, Puducherry chief minister V Narayanasamy finally on Monday held discussion with Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, along with his cabinet colleagues, to sort out issues of clearing 36 proposals for welfare schemes, including one for a free rice scheme.

Narayanasamy, in a signal of thaw, accepted Bedi's invitation for a discussion and an early dinner, and walked into the Raj Nivas at 5 pm on Monday. The meeting was scheduled after chief minister Narayanasamy relaxed his stance on Sunday night and came forward to attend a meeting at a place and time decided by Bedi to settle the issues raised by him. He had earlier sought a meeting at the conference hall of the chief secretariat and rejected her previous invite for a meeting at Raj Nivas on Sunday evening.

Narayanasamy, his cabinet colleagues and MLAs of both Congress and DMK, have been staging a dharna against Bedi since February 13 in protest against her "negative stand" towards his various proposals.

Earlier, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday met Narayanasamy and expressed his solidarity with the agitation. "I have come to express solidarity. We will demand that both Delhi and Puducherry be made full (fledged) states. There is no reason why people of these states should be discriminated against," he said.