Launching a scathing attack on Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, campaigning for Congress candidate for Puducherry Lok Sabha seat V. Narayanasamy, termed Mr. Rangasamy’s support for BJP a betrayal.
He said, “Mr. Rangasamy says he left the Congress because of a difference of opinion, but the fact that he then decided to start a party on his own and support the BJP shows that it is not a difference of opinion, but the difference was in his genetic structure.”
Mr. Rangasamy grew in the Congress, it was the Congress that made him a Minister and later a Chief Minister, but then he had a difference of opinion and started a new party.
That is normal, and that can be accepted. What is not acceptable is his betrayal of supporting the BJP, since the BJP men and Congress men have a difference in their genetic structure, he said during his campaign speech.
Highest per capita funding Responding to Mr. Rangasamy’s allegations that the Centre had held back funds and stopped schemes, he said, over the past five years, Puducherry had received the highest per capita funding from the Centre meant for any State.
In the five year period starting from 2009-10, the Centre had allotted Rs. 1,817 crore to Puducherry under the plan and Rs. 3,236 crore as non-plan funding. Overall, the UT Government had been given Rs. 5,053 crore in the past five years. This amounted to Rs. 1,010 crore per year for the past five years, he said.
He appealed to Mr. Rangasamy to stop hiding the truth from the people.
Speaking of the National Democratic Alliance fielding two candidates in the Union Territory, he said, the NDA did not know who its allies were and who were not. It was only the Congress that was stable and had an understanding of who was by their side and who was not.
The NDA was now fielding two candidates for the Puducherry seat, and two parties were campaigning for one person to become Prime Minister. “I hope the situation will be solved by the time the elections come,” he said.
Unlike in Tamil Nadu where there are 39 members of Parliament, in Puducherry there is only one.
In a larger State, if a few of the MPs are not able to perform, the State will not be affected, whereas in Puducherry if the one MP is not good, the entire UT will be affected.
Speaking of the reach of the regional parties, he said, the NR Congress had no reach outside Puducherry and the AIADMK and DMK had no reach outside Tamil Nadu. It is only a party that can field candidates in all States of the country and manage to get 200 seats that will win. These regional parties do not have that power, he said.
Congress candidate V. Narayanasamy and other senior leaders were present at the meeting. Rajya Sabha MP P. Kannan, however, did not make an appearance.
