The Puducherry unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday demanded the resignation of Lieutenant Governor Iqbal Singh and Chief Minister V. Vaithilingam following allegations that a No-Objection Certificate and an Essentiality Certificate (EC) were issued to a trust linked to Mr. Singh without the consent of the Territorial Cabinet.
Addressing a press conference, CPI (M) Tamil Nadu State council member T. Murugan said the series of events that allegedly led to the issuance of an EC to the South Education Trust, which has been linked to Mr. Singh, showed that the Chief Minister of the Union Territory was not in control of the decisions being made by the government.
“The Chief Minister should explain to the people how his Cabinet was bypassed by officials in his own government in issuing the certificates. As he has no control over the government, he has lost the right to continue in the office,” he said.
Mr. Murugan said the statement of Mr. Singh that he would quit office if asked by Congress president Sonia Gandhi was condemnable and an insult to the President to whom he was directly accountable. “Either he should resign on his own or the President should recall him. The charges against him are too serious for him to continue,” he said. Puducherry CPI (M) secretary V. Perumal said that the contention of Chief Secretary R. Chandramohan that only a modified EC was issued to the Trust was “bizarre” and sought his resignation for “misuse of power.”
“We want the Chief Secretary removed and a detailed enquiry by the investigating authorities into the matter,” he said. Mr. Perumal also said the party would protest in front of Raj Nivas on Friday demanding Mr. Singh's resignation.
