Puducherry Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) V. Vaithilingam on Monday accused the All India N.R. Congress led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) of shying away from implementing the directive of the Central government to set aside 50% of the seats from private medical colleges under government quota.
Addressing a press conference, he said around 450 medical seats were available in private medical colleges and deemed universities in the Union Territory. The government should have obtained 225 seats for allotment under the government quota in private medical colleges. However, during the last academic year, the private colleges had only parted with 170 seats for the government to fill, he pointed out.
“The same alliance of political parties are in power at the Centre and Puducherry. The BJP, which is part of the ruling alliance in the Union Territory, is duty bound to implement the directions of the Centre. If this year too, the government failed to get 50% of the private medical college seats, it will create the impression that the AINRC and the BJP are not interested in the future of the students in Puducherry,” Mr. Vaithilingam said.
The non-implementation of the Centre’s directive would also mean that the BJP in the Union Territory was functioning in a different manner, he added.
The former Chief Minister also urged the territorial administration to strictly follow the guidelines of the National Medical Commission and ensure that fees for 50% of the seats in private medical colleges and deemed universities are on a par with fees in the government medical colleges in Puducherry.
PCC leadership
To a query on the infighting in the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), Mr. Vaithilingam said the All India Congress Committee had gathered the views of party workers in Puducherry. The party high command will decide on the PCC’s leadership, he added.
“Some people have been raising issues over leadership change. But there is nothing official to state that they have sought a leadership change in the PCC. We have not heard them speaking about leadership change in the public. Also, we doubt whether those seeking change in leadership have got the backing of the BJP. Maybe, the BJP is behind them” Mr. Vaithilingam said.
“Some of them who have left us are not happy in the BJP. They should first make their displeasure public, and then, we will consider taking them back. We are not going to take all of them back,” he said.
