The power of a cinema star was evident in the unusually high turnout of party men at the Pradesh Congress Committee office the other day during the recent visit of actor-turned-politician and All India Mahila Congress general secretary Nagma to the city.
Even though she came to the office one hour behind schedule the jam-packed PCC office was an unusual scenario as this was the first time a celebrity had been on a visit to the Congress office.
Party men were pushing forward to have a close look at the leader who spent half-an-hour at the PCC office to talk to media persons.
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And Nagma meant business at the press briefing as she went hammer and tongs against the ruling Rangasamy-led Government.
She chose to attack the Government on various fronts. First up, she claimed that crimes against women were on the rise in the Union Territory and said that women were living in a highly unsafe environment in Puducherry.
She then targeted Mr. Rangasamy for failing to deliver on his promises. “The ruling AINRC government had let down all sections of people and had failed to deliver the promises extended to people. The government had not been promoting tourism and industries, and the problem of unemployment was also rampant,” Ms. Nagma said.
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She also did not spare the Government for failing to check price rise and for distribution of substandard commodities through the PDS.
In for a surprise
It was Chief Minister N. Rangasamy’s turn to be surprised on Sunday when he attended the golden jubilee celebrations of the Andhra Maha Sabha.
He stated that it was only at the programme that he came to know that both Lok Sabha Member of Parliament R. Radhakrishnan and Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament N. Gokulakrishnan were Telugu-speaking.
He then laughed and said that this showed he had indeed taken care of the Telugu-speaking community. He added that this also showed how well integrated the community was in Puducherry.
Reporters banned from public ceremony
Sometimes, police personnel and other officials play the role of media screening officers while there is no clear direction from the officers of Department of Information and Publicity.
Last week, a brief function was organised by the government at Raj Nivas for the swearing-in of P.R. Siva, as a minister.
Any swearing-in ceremony is considered a public function. But the officers of Department of Information and Publicity preferred to extend invitation only to photographers and videographers.
The reporters were barred from entering into premises and had to argue with police personnel who were on duty at the entrance.
Noticing the plight of them, a senior leader of the ruling party came to the rescue of them. At last they were allowed to cover the event. Officials cited shortage of space inside the hall wherein the ceremony was held.
By S. Prasad, Annie Philip and R. Sivaraman