No opposition to UT statehood: Minister

The upgraded status would enable the territorial government to evolve and implement several schemes and programmes without delay, he told reporters here. A delegation of legislators, led by Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, cutting across party lines recently met the Vice-President, Union Ministers, leaders of different political parties and Congress president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi to seek their support for the demand, he said. “There is absolutely no opposition from any quarters to the demand for statehood,” he said. 

Namassivayam, who is the Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee president, said all the leaders, whom the delegation met, had promised to take up the issue in Parliament and ensure that the demand was met. The Puducherry Assembly has been adopting resolutions in almost every budget session urging the Centre to grant statehood, he added. Asked whether Health and Tourism Minister Malladi Krishna Rao, who represents Yanam constituency, was not in favour of the demand for statehood, Namassivayam said it was not correct. 

Meanwhile, V Saminathan, BJP state president and one of the three nominated members said on Thursday, “the three nominated members will attend the Assembly session when it is convened for one day to pass the Appropriation Bill.” In an informal chat with newspersons, after placing wreath at the Kargil war memorial here, Saminathan said if Speaker V Vaithilingam refused to allow them inside the House even after the Supreme Court direction, the people of Puducherry will lose faith in the judiciary.