Former Member of Parliament M. Ramadass on Friday termed Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy’s remarks on fiscal federalism as ‘irrelevant’ and ‘misplaced’.
He said the CM’s remarks appear to be his oft-repeated charges against the Centre on the difficulties in implementation of welfare schemes in the Union Territory.
In a statement, he said Puducherry had all qualifications and characteristics to become a State. In fact, some of the members of XI Finance Commission recommended the inclusion of Puducherry but it was not conceded.
“Puducherry is also not included in the Finance Commission constituted by the Home Ministry for Union Territories as it is a Union Territory with a legislature. Therefore Puducherry is neither here nor there and is made to fend for itself,” he remarked.
“The situation, though painful, does not warrant and justify the Chief Minister to urge the Centre to declare Puducherry as a ‘transgender’ State. Puducherry, the land of Bharathi and Bharathidassan has its own glory and greatness which cannot be tarnished for the sake of problems created by the Chief Minister,” Mr. Ramadass said.
He pointed out that Puducherry could really figure in the map of fiscal federalism only when it gets upgraded into a full fledged State. “The Chief Minister should have easily got Statehood to Puducherry when he was the Union Minister on the basis of a very clear and cogent Report of the Committee of Home Affairs (2015),” he pointed out.
“He failed to do it for reasons best known to him. Even after he became the CM, he was diverting the issue by clamouring special category State knowing fully well that such a concept was abandoned,” the former MP charged.
“There is no point in blaming the present Union government without initiating a sincere and scientific effort to approach it with the proposal of Statehood. Sitting in dharna and raising slogans in Delhi streets will not get Statehood. All fiscal woes of the UT government will vanish once it gets Statehood,” he said.
The Chief Minister would do well to request the Congress party and its ally DMK in Parliament to raise the issue rather vociferously in the current session, he said.
The territorial administration should prepare a scientific report on the viability of Statehood to Puducherry through the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi and submit the same to the Prime Minister along with an all-party delegation, he emphasised.
