DMK, Cong taking people for a ride on Pondy statehood: AIADMK

The Opposition AIADMK on Friday charged the Congress and its alliance partner the DMK here with taking people for a ride on the issue of statehood for Puducherry.

The leader of the legislature wing of the AIADMK A Anbazhagan levelled this charge while talking to reporters on the sidelines of his campaign in the bypoll-bound Kamaraj Nagar constituency.

Refuting DMK president MK Stalin’s accusation agaisnt Lt Governor Kiran Bedi and BJP of obstructing statehood for the UT, Anbazhagan said, “This is absolutely a misleading and baseless allegation.”

When the Congress was in power with the support of the DMK at the Centre why the Congress did not take any step to get statehood for Puducherry, the AIADMK leader asked. Both the Congress and the DMK had been taking the people for a ride on statehood issue by making false and baseless allegations against Bedi and the BJP on the matter, he said.

Former chief minister N Rangasamy also accused senior Congress leader and Chief Minister Narayanasamy of diverting people’s attention without giving a straight reply to the opposition’s question as to what he (Narayanasamy) had done during the last three years for development of the Union Territory. Rangasamy wanted the Congress government here to refrain from making criticisms against the Lieutenant Governor and concentrate on implementation of schemes.

Meanwhile, AIADMK whip Vayyapuri Manikandan on Friday wondered how the CM will fulfill the promises given to the voters during the by-election to Kamaraj Nagar when Narayanasamy has failed to fulfill the promises made on the floor of the Assembly earlier.

Condemning the Chief Minister for giving fake assurances, Manikandan said the people should understand that when the government could not fulfill the promises given on the floor of the Assembly, they will never fulfill the promises given for the by-election.