NE NEWS SERVICE
PUDUCHERRY, FEB 9
Reaffirming the demand for statehood, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Tuesday said there was no use in having a territorial Assembly if the elected government has no powers to implement its decisions to promote the welfare of people.
09-02-2021 | Press Meet Highlights from #Puducherry . pic.twitter.com/697rz27LOb
— Office of Ex CM V Narayanasamy (@ExcmPuducherry) February 9, 2021
Addressing reporters here, the Chief Minister said for the last three decades Puducherry has been demanding full statehood and resolutions were also adopted in the House on several occasions to urge the Centre to concede the plea for statehood.
He said the goal has not been reached and alleged the present NDA government at the Centre was using the Lt Governor Kiran Bedi to impede the implementation of the decisions of elected government here. “….the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP)-led NDA government in collusion with the Lt Governor Kiran Bedi is standing in the way of implementation of decisions of the elected government here.”
“We are cutting a sorry figure before the people and the Lt Governor is not accountable for the schemes not seeing light of the day,” the chief minister said.
He claimed the government has also been facing hurdles even in posting officers, filling vacancies and taking up infrastructural development programmes including roads.
“When an elected government has no powers in the present status of Puducherry being a Union Territory, there is no point in having an Assembly,” he said.
He said the Centre should without delay sanction full statehood status to Puducherry.
Referring to the call given by leader of opposition and former Chief Minister N Rangasamy (AINRC) that political parties could as well boycott the coming Assembly polls to persuade the Centre to sanction statehood, Narayanasamy said all parties should have a joint meeting and take an unanimous decision.
The parties should adopt an unanimous resolution to boycott the polls, Narayanasamy said.
“I will apprise the AICC at my meeting in Delhi with AICC leaders on Wednesday of the emerging feeling here that poll should be boycotted to reiterate the demand that the Centre grant without any further loss of time statehood for Puducherry,” he said.
“My personal stand is that poll boycott is a good idea but for the Congress to take a decision, it must get the nod of the high command,” the chief minister added.
