Leader of the Opposition and DMK convener R. Siva has asked Chief Minister N. Rangasamy to pull the All India N R Congress out of the National Democratic Alliance to protest against the attitude of the BJP government at the Centre towards the Union Territory.
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Shortly after staging a walkout from the Assembly, Mr. Siva told reporters that the Chief Minister should quit the NDA to show his protest against the Centre’s attitude. “Mr. Rangasamy should emulate Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He should quit the NDA to protect the interests of the Union Territory. The BJP is neglecting the Union Territory while being a partner in the Puducherry government,” he said.
Mr. Siva said Lt. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan was using her constitutional position to further the interests of the BJP in the Union Territory. “People reposed faith in her appointment as she is from Tamil Nadu. There was the expectation that she would get additional funds from the Centre. Though she has visited Delhi several times to meet the Prime Minister and the Union Ministers, the Union Territory has gained no benefits. Her visits were made with a political agenda and Raj Nivas has become a BJP office,” he said.
Seeking an explanation from the Chief Minister on the outcome of his recent meeting with the Prime Minister in New Delhi, Mr. Siva said the Centre continued to ignore the Union Territory by reducing its share of the budgetary allocation .The Centre set aside ₹1,724 crore in the Union Budget for the Union Territory in the current year. It was ₹150 crore less than the allocation for the previous financial year, he said.