Union Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office, V. Narayanasamy, on Saturday raised doubts over the majority of the All India N.R. Congress in the Assembly.
“He has 14 MLAs on his side and the opposite camp has 15,” was his response to a question related to the stability of the AINRC government.
He was addressing a press conference here. He left it to Lieutenant Governor Iqbal Singh's conscience on whether to ask Mr. Rangasamy to prove his majority.
Asked to comment on the delay in forming a full-fledged Ministry and election of Speaker, Mr. Narayanasamy said that the governance of the Union Territory came directly under the supervision of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. So it was up to the Ministry and the Lieutenant Governor to comment on the issue.
He denied reports of the Congress trying to topple the government.
Asked if there is a possibility of an understanding between his party and the AINRC in the wake of Mr. Rangasamy's meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Mr. Narayanasamy said that he was not aware of the agenda of the meeting.
“Even if any decision is taken, it will be first communicated to Congress-in charge for the Union Territory. So far, the local leadership has not received any communication.”
Mr. Narayanasamy flayed the Chief Minister for the retrenchment of workers appointed by the previous government.
Later in the day, Mr. Narayanasamy called on the Lieutenant Governor.
AIADMK plea to Iqbal Singh
The secretary of the Puducherry unit of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam A. Anbalagan has said that Mr. Singh has “deviated” from his constitutional and moral responsibility by failing to direct the Rangasamy government to prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, he said that Mr. Singh should have used his constitutional powers to ensure that the Chief Minister had a majority to run the government.
“We feel the Lieutenant Governor is deviating from his moral and constitutional responsibility. A month had passed since Mr. Rangasamy assumed office but Ministers are yet to be appointed and the office of the Speaker is still kept vacant. This has never happened in the history of the Union Territory.”
Mr. Anbalagan sought to know from Mr. Rangasamy whether he “was running a monarchy or a democratically elected government.”
Reacting to the Chief Minister's recent meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Mr. Anbalagan said, “Mr. Rangasamy fought the elections in alliance with the AIADMK, but now he has surrendered to the Congress.”
