Puducherry CM V Narayanasamy, ministers to stage demonstration in Delhi for statehood

Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy with his cabinet colleagues, legislators of the ruling Congress and its ally the DMK are all set to stage a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Thursday to urge the Centre to grant statehood to the Union Territory.

Speaking to reporters, the Chief Minister stated the leaders of Left parties, the VCK, MDMK, Pattali Makkal Katchi and other political outfits too would participate in the demonstration which is also aimed at asking the Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi to leave the Union Territory in view of her 'confrontation' with the elected government.

He also added that he has written to the leaders of the AINRC and AIADMK to participate in the agitation and that he was yet to get a reply from them. 

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However, the AIADMK legislature wing leader A Anbalagan told reporters that whenever Narayanasamy found the going unsmooth, he was taking up the statehood issue.

Anbalagan went on to say that the Chief Minister had already headed a delegation of MLAs to Delhi earlier in July to urge the Centre to grant statehood to Puducherry and a memorandum was also submitted to Union Ministers for the same.

''Nothing has happened so far, so how an agitation can be effective to get statehood,'' the AIADMK MLA wondered and recalled that during the UPA regime at the Centre statehood could have been granted to Puducherry.

READ: National Approval Ratings: In Puducherry Congress Is Predicted To Win The Seat

Meanwhile, there is an ongoing row between  Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi and CM and V Narayanasamy over the Pongal gift hamper scheme. On Wednesday, Kiran Bedi released a copy of a document to support her stand that Pongal gift hamper scheme was meant only for BPL people and accused Chief Minister of threatening officials. 

READ: Kiran Bedi Issues A "final Warning" To Residents And Shop Owners Who Dumped Garbage Into Drains In Puducherry

(With Agency inputs)