Puducherry: Puducherry government’s fight for statehood will reach the national capital with all-party meeting chaired by Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy deciding to stage a demonstration outside Parliament in Delhi next month to pressurise the Centre on the long pending demand. Talking to reporters after the meeting, the Chief Minister said that political parties which attended the meeting expressed concern over the Centre reducing grants for the Union Territory and the style of functioning of the Lt Governor interfering in the matters of the elected government.
“Puducherry has been raising the issue of statehood for several years and had adopted almost thirteen resolutions on the issue. But the Central government is passive on the issue, hence government decided to take the issue to the national capital,” he said.
“The demonstration will be held by the first week of January as the ongoing winter session of Parliament is scheduled to end by January 8. The date of the protest will be announced soon. Political parties including the DMK and left parties have extended their support to the protest,” he added.
The meeting was convened by the Chief Minister to discuss various issues including the Supreme Court order upholding the nomination of three BJP MLAs was boycotted by the main opposition party, the AINRC and AIADMK. Leaders of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi were present at the meeting chaired by the Chief Minister and attended by his ministerial colleagues.
The meeting also passed a resolution condemning the slashing of grants by the NDA government at the Centre to the Puducherry administration. “The Central grant which was upto 90 per cent was brought down to 70 per cent and budgetary allocation also cut down by the BJP government at the Centre,” alleged the Chief Minister Continuing his allegations against the Lt Governor of ‘misusing her authority’ the Chief Minister accused Bedi of interfering in day to day affairs of the elected government and giving oral directions to officials. He again confirmed the decision to file a review petition on the verdict on nominated MLAs.
