The budget session of the Puducherry Assembly began on a stormy note on Wednesday with all the five legislators belonging to the opposition AIADMK indulging in sloganeering and attempting to prevent Lieutenant Governor A.K. Singh from entering the House to deliver his customary address.
After receiving the ceremonial reception, Mr. Singh was proceeding towards the main hall of the Legislative Assembly, when AIADMK MLAs led by Legislature party leader P. Purushothaman gheraoed the Lt. Governor to register their protest on various issues ranging from non-implementation of promises made in the previous budgets to delay in appointment of a full-fledged governor for the Union Territory.
When the Assembly watch and ward staff intervened and tried to remove the MLAs, they resisted, leading to a melee. With the MLAs unrelenting, the Lieutenant Governor had to be escorted into the House through the main entrance.
Four of the AIADMK MLAs also entered the House through the entrance reserved for the Lt. Governor, while Mr. Purushothaman was left outside when the main door was locked by the Assembly staff.
After repeatedly banging on the door, Mr. Purushothaman, later, used the regular entrance into the Assembly and, along with the other MLAs, trooped into the well of the House and continued to raise slogans against the government.
As Mr. Singh began reading the customary address without paying much heed to the disturbance, the AIADMK MLAs sat on a dharna in front of the House.
The Assembly watch and ward staff formed a cordon in front of Mr. Singh and prevented them from moving any closer to the podium. The MLAs later staged a walkout from the House.
"I am convinced that the government is working seriously for the welfare of the people and developing all the regions," Mr. Singh said.
Later speaking to reporters, AIADMK MLAs P. Purushothaman and A. Anbalagan said that there was no point in merely adhering to the convention of the Lieutenant Governor presenting the customary address while the government was letting down people.
Mr. Anbalagan said that the government had not implemented the promises made during the previous budgets. It has failed to mop up additional revenue and take any steps to include Puducherry under the Central Finance Commission.
No funds have been released to MLAs under the Local Area Development Scheme for the last three years, he said. He pointed out that while the Chief Minister N. Rangasamy had been making sustained pleas to the centre to grant full Statehood to Puducherry he had not come out with any request to post a full fledged Lt. Governor.
