Squabbling Pondy CM, PWD Minister off to Delhi

After the power struggle between the Lt Governor and Chief Minister subsided following the Madras High Court order and the Supreme Court refusing to entertain the plea of the former, trouble started between the Chief Minister and Namassivayam. 

Though the exact reason for the confrontation is not clear, it is stated that Namassivayam, also the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president was unhappy over the less allocation of funds to his PWD portfolio.

Coming to know about the trouble, the Congress High Command deputed Dutt to Puducherry who heard the Ministers and Congress legislators separately.However, his intervention failed to resolve the issue. Namassivayam boycotted a Cabinet meeting recently and avoided to share the stage with the Chief Minister in a temple function in his Villianur constituency.

Later, both the Chief Minister and Namassivayam went to New Delhi and lodged complaints with the party high command separately following which it had deputed Dutt to Puducherry once again. Immediately after the Quit India function at the PCC office this morning, Narayansamy proceeded to Chennai en route to New Delhi by a flight to attend the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Saturday. When Namassivayam came, Dutt asked him to get into the Chief Minister’s car and he refused.  When the PWD Minister tried to board his car since, he also has to go to New Delhi, Dutt forced him into the Chief Minister’s car. Later he also took the Chief Minister’s car and left for Chennai.

It is expected that Dutt may make a last effort to arrive at a compromise during their journey and if he fails, the issue would be left to party High Command.