Dispelling doubts over the status of his party, Leader of Opposition and senior Congress party leader V.Vaithilingam made it clear that the party was very much the principal opposition in the House.
Responding to All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Deputy Leader A.Anbalagan’s claim that the Congress has lost opposition status after a few of its MLAs were seen to be tilting towards the ruling AINRC, Mr.Vaithilingam remarked that the AIADMK leader, instead, should ascertain whether five AIADMK MLAs are existing in the party or not and examine whether he has locus standi to talk about the Congress.
“The Congress Legislature Party is very much intact and functioning. There is no question of it losing opposition status in the Legislative Assembly,” said Mr.Vaithilingam who was accompanied by Puducherry Congress Committee President A.V. Subramanian while addressing reporters at the party office.
Downplaying the meeting of party MLAs with All India NR Congress President and Chief Minister N.Rangasamy, Mr.Subramanian felt that no political significance could be read into it as after all they had met him to put forth certain demands in the interest of their respective constituencies.
When asked about the absence of party MLAs in the rally organised by Congress MLAs, Mr. Subramanian said the rally was organised only to test the strength of party in Puducherry region and one MLA was absent due to preoccupation with his personal work in Coimbatore.
Narayanasamy’s reaction to Budget
Describing the Union Government’s General Budget and Railway Budget as a disappointment to Union Territory, Mr.Vaithilingam said during United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rule, attempts were made to bring an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) to Puducherry but the ruling AINRC and the local BJP unit have not impressed upon the Union Government to make a related announcement in the budget.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary and former Union Minister for State V.Narayanasamy on Monday said Union Budget was pampering the affluent and the corporate sector and ignored the depressed and marginalised sections
In a statement, Mr.Narayanasamy said Puducherry had also been ignored and no schemes had been evolved to lure investors and to encourage generation of employment.
