Congress asks why BJP failed to give special category status to Puducherry in last six years

PUDUCHERRY: AICC Secretary Dinesh Gundu Rao on Saturday said the BJP was only offering a 'bribe' to the people with its promise to give special category status to Puducherry by increasing annual grants to 40 percent.

Addressing a press conference along with former Chief Minister V Narayanasamy at the Congress party office on Saturday, Gundu Rao questioned why the BJP failed to give special category status to Puducherry and increase grants in the last six years.

Despite Narayanasamy having written several times to Nirmala Sitharaman and meeting her in person seeking increase in grants, it was not done. "Why was it not done before and why offer it now," he asked.

He questioned why the powers of the Delhi government were being removed. On the one hand, the Centre was taking away powers of the elected government and giving all powers to the Lt Governor in Delhi because the Opposition ruled the state and on the other hand, it promised special category status to Puducherry if the BJP comes to power. If the Congress-DMK government comes to power, special status will not be given, said Gundu Rao.

Gundu Rao said that statehood is the policy of the Congress, DMK and NR Congress. NR Congress President N Rangawamy had even stated that his party will boycott the elections if statehood was not granted for Puducherry, he said.

Now, with the BIP remaining silent about statehood for Puducherry in their election manifesto, the NR Congress should make its stance clear on whether the party is accepting the decision of the BJP that statehood will not be granted for Puducherry, or would break its alliance with the BJP or boycott the elections, he asked.

The AICC leader cautioned N Rangasamy, the NR Congress leader, that even if his party comes to power, the BJP will not allow him to function. The BJP will weaken and finish the NR Congress and make them part of it. "The BJP’s agenda is only to see that their party is strengthened and political opponents will be finished," he said.

The AICC leader alleged that the BJP was trying to “purchase” voters to get a mandate in their favour using their financial strength in a similar way to how they “purchased” legislators to topple the government.

Central ministers are coming every second day, he said, citing Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, Giriraj Singh and Arjun Ram Meghwal, but for the last five years, no one has come or done anything for Puducherry, he said.

When Prime Minister Modi visited Puducherry, he assured to make it a hub of business, education, spiritualism and tourism, but there are no concrete plans in the manifesto reflecting this, he said. There is nothing on waiver of legacy loans mentioned by the Prime Minister in the BJP manifesto, he said.