Opposition parties on Saturday called for a “total bandh” on April 27 in all the four regions of the Union Territory demanding the resignation of Lieutenant Governor Iqbal Singh.
Reading out a resolution adopted at a meeting attended by representatives of the AIADMK, the CPI, the CPI (M) and the All-India N.R. Congress, Secretary of the Puducherry unit of the CPI N. Kalainathan said the position of Mr. Singh had become untenable in the wake of the allegations against him.
Investigation
Mr. Kalainathan said that having accepted that Mr. Singh recommended expeditious issuance of passport to tax evader Hasan Ali Khan, it was only appropriate that he resigned immediately, without which a fair investigation into the matter cannot be carried out.
Further, a Trust, of which his sons were members, was allotted a No-Objection Certificate and a modified Essentiality Certificate even without the consent of the Cabinet.
“This showed misuse of power by Mr. Singh,” Mr. Kalainathan said.
Puducherry secretary of the AIADMK A. Anbalagan said Mr. Singh had brought a bad name to the Union Territory due to his alleged links to Hasan Ali and demanded that the President intervene in the matter and “dismiss” the Lieutenant Governor.
Alleging that Mr. Singh was behaving like a “businessman,” he said officials, including the Chief Secretary and the Health Secretary, who were giving conflicting statements on the issue of awarding in-principle approval for an NOC to the Trust linked to Mr. Singh, should resign and the matter investigated comprehensively.
Mr. Anbalagan requested all traders to down shutters on April 27 and urged people to actively participate in the bandh.
Meanwhile, president of the All India N.R. Congress N. Rangasamy told The Hindu over phone that his party would discuss the matter before deciding whether or not to participate in the bandh.
