'Puducherry's identity will be lost if NDA comes to power'

Chennai, March 26 The former Chief Minister of Puducherry and senior Congress leader V. Narayanasamy has said that if the BJP-led NDA government comes to power in the state, more powers will be given to the Lt. Governor thus undermining the identity of the state.

While speaking to , the former Chief minister said the Legislation passed in Parliament on Wednesday giving more powers to the Lt. Governor, New Delhi is a clear indicator on what is in store for Puducherry.

He said the Delhi Union Territory Act was amended to give more powers to Lt. Governor and this would lead to all the decisions of the Delhi government requiring the approval of the Lt. Governor.

Narayanasamy said, "This is a clear indicator for what is in store for Puducherry and this has to be objected tooth and nail and the people must give a befitting lesson to the BJP in this election."

The former Chief minister said that the coalition partners of the BJP in the NDA alliance, All India NR Congress( AINRC) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(AIADMK) were fighting for the statehood of Puducherry.

Narayanasamy said, "The NDA is a bundle of contradictions. While both the AINRC and AIADMK had fought in the streets for statehood to Puducherry, their alliance partner BJP has passed a legislation in Parliament providing more powers to the Lt. Governor. They will push this in Puducherry also and I would like to know the position of these two parties, AINRC and AIADMK on this issue."

The former Chief minister also said that if the BJP-led alliance comes to power, there will not be any say for the legislators in policy decisions and that the Lt. Governor's office would deal with that directly.

He said, "If the BJP-led NDA is elected to power, the people of Puducherry will suffer as extra constitutional authorities will wield the power with the sitting legislators having no say in policy matters and even in the decision making process. It would be traumatic."

The Congress-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) is trying to give maximum publicity to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Bill, 2021, which was passed by Parliament on Wednesday providing more powers to the Lt. Governor of New Delhi.

With almost all the opinion polls and surveys predicting a victory for the AINRC-AIADMK-BJP combine in the April 6 elections, the Congress is trying to use the issue of giving more powers to the Delhi Lt. Governor as a major poll plank.

( With inputs from IANS )