Political parties in Tamil Nadu accused the BJP of destroying democracy after Puducherry Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy resigned on Monday ahead of a trust vote.
DMK president M.K. Stalin alleged that the BJP had toppled the Congress government led by Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy in Puducherry through politically indecent ways, horse-trading and the claim that nominated members had voting rights.
“I appreciate Mr. Narayanasamy who explained the anti-people and anti-democratic activities of the BJP in the Assembly before resigning,” he said in a statement.
Mr. Stalin said when Puducherry was ready to face the Assembly election along with Tamil Nadu, the BJP government at the Centre had murdered democracy. “Though it does not have a single member in Tamil Nadu, it is using the slave AIADMK government as a puppet. If it has plans to run the government through the Governor and postpones the election, the DMK will challenge it through legal means,” he said. He said the BJP could play its dirty politics in the Assembly, but it could not succeed in its attempt in the public forum.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K.S. Alagiri slammed the BJP, accusing the party of using former Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi to prevent the Congress government in the Union Territory from carrying out any welfare and development activities.
“Despite all the hurdles mounted by Ms. Bedi, Mr. Narayanasamy managed to implement so many welfare schemes. He is someone who fought against such a terrible Lt. Governor for more than four and a half years of his elected rule,” he said.
He said the Congress was democratically elected to power in Puducherry while the BJP, which contested in 18 seats, lost deposit in all seats. “Appointing three people as nominated members to the Assembly when the people of the Union Territory had spurned them was an anti-democratic, anti-people move by the BJP,” he said, adding that the BJP might have got but a temporary victory by dislodging the Congress government in the Union Territory.
“But the people will not forget the good work done by Mr. Narayanasamy. In Tamil Nadu, the horizontal quota for NEET admissions is 7.5% but in Puducherry he implemented 10%. Despite the hurdles put by Ms. Bedi on the free rice scheme, he managed to implement it successfully. While Puducherry was supposed to receive 41% Central funds as per the 15th Finance Commission’s recommendations, it got only 21% People are aware of all these,” he said, adding that the Congress would storm back to power in the Union Territory after the poll.
MDMK general secretary Vaiko said the BJP had resorted to the murder of democracy and had enacted a drama of removing Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi, who had been working against the democratically elected government from day one. “Puducherry too has fallen into the list of States such as Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Nagaland, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh where the BJP has toppled democratically-elected governments by buying MLAs,” he charged.
Manithaneya Makkal Katchi president M.H. Jawahirullah said the BJP, which was only doing politics of horse-trading, had made fools of people who had elected another party democratically. He demanded that to prevent any such future incidents like this, the practice of appointing nominated members to the Assembly must be dispensed of with immediately and full Statehood status must be given to Puducherry.
