The prohibitory orders under which shops were shut and roads blocked across the city for security reasons in connection with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit led to hardships for the common man, former Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy said on Tuesday.
In a video released to the media, he said the administration, instead of blocking only certain roads around the time of the visitand sparing other routes, exposed its shortcoming by shutting shops and blocking vehicular traffic across the city citing security reasons. Mr. Narayanasamy wanted to know if N. Rangasamy was willing to take on the BJP for securing Statehood to Puducherry, especially as the BJP manifesto was silent on Statehood. Referring to the recent legislation passed in the Parliament that made the Delhi Chief Minister subservient to the Lt. Governor, Mr. Narayanasamy said this would be replicated in Puducherry, if the NDA came to power.
Terming the All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) as the BJP’s “B team”, Mr. Narayanasamy said the regional party would not be able to take an independent stand under the BJP’s dominance. Only a Congress-DMK government would be able to protect the rights of the people of Puducherry and preserve its identity, he said.