Modi govt will ‘dismantle’ Puducherry's separate status: CM Narayanasamy upps poll ante

Puducherry CM V Narayanasamy on Monday claimed that the NDA government at the Centre will "dismantle" the separate status of the Union Territory and merge it with neighbouring states. He also said that his party workers will not remain silent and sacrifice their lives to protect it.

'We will not remain silent spectators': Puducherry CM

Narayanasamy said the Centre had already reduced Jammu and Kashmir from being a State to a Union Territory and asked the people to ensure that the Congress-led alliance was elected to power in the 2021 Assembly polls also. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is turning his eyes towards Puducherry and would dismantle the separate status of Puducherry and merge it with neighbouring States," he claimed, addressing the 136th foundation day celebrations of the Congress.

"Puducherry would face a situation of being deprived of its separate status as a Union Territory and there is need for caution and care on the part of party workers and people in general," he said. "We will not remain silent spectators and would even sacrifice our lives to protect the separate status of Puducherry," he added.

According to PTI, he added that the party workers should put in hard work to ensure that Congress headed alliance is elected again to rule the Union Territory. On the Prime Minister's recent barb that without holding civic polls in Puducherry, the Congress was preaching him democracy, Narayanasamy again alleged Lt Governor Kiran Bedi was blocking initiatives aimed at elections.

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"The fact is that it is Kiran Bedi who is responsible for the delay in reviving grassroots level democracy in Puducherry and Prime Minister pinning the blame on Congress government for civic polls not taking place is unwarranted and unacceptable," Narayanasamy said and challenged the PM for a debate on who is responsible for delay in holding the polls.

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PM Modi’s Puducherry polls barb

On Saturday, the Prime Minister said that the Panchayat and municipal elections in Puducherry did not take place despite the Supreme Court's order. "Despite the Supreme Court's order in Puducherry, Panchayat and municipal elections have not taken place. Those who teach me democracy every day, it is their party which is in power there. You will be surprised the Supreme Court has given this order in 2018. But the government there, which does not have any faith in democracy, is constantly avoiding the matter," he said.

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"After decades of waiting, the local body polls were held in Puducherry in 2006. The term of the people who were elected in this election ended in 2011. It also shows the big difference between the words and actions of some political parties, and how serious they are towards democracy. It has been so many years, Panchayat elections are not being allowed in Puducherry," he added.

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(With agency inputs)