Puducherry, April 6 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin on Monday alleged that the Centre has shown no interest in granting full statehood to Puducherry, despite the union territory's legislative assembly passing resolutions 14 times urging such a move.
Addressing a rally here and formally introducing candidates fielded by the Congress, DMK, and VCK for the April 9 polls, Stalin accused the Lieutenant Governor of being "all in all" while Chief Minister N Rangasamy is "kept as a puppet chief minister."
"The forthcoming polls on April 9 are an excellent opportunity for the people to end the current ills in Puducherry, even while it remains a union territory," he said.
Stalin recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised during the last Assembly elections that Puducherry would become the "best Puducherry."
He said the reality, however, is the "worst Puducherry that people are witnessing now."
He cited examples of governance failures, including the blocking of a probe into a counterfeit manufacturing unit and the procurement of substandard medicines. "Are these instances proof of the so-called double-engine government propagated by Home Minister Amit Shah?" he asked.
The DMK leader also highlighted concerns over law and order and the rising drug menace in the union territory. "How could the PM conduct a roadshow in Puducherry amid such issues? Is it not shameful?" he claimed.
Stalin questioned whether Rangasamy would face a predicament similar to that of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, given the Centre’s reluctance to grant the Puducherry CM all powers he sought.
"There is therefore a need for change. The forthcoming polls should bring a new dawn," he said, adding that “Stalin’s voice is not confined to Tamil Nadu alone; it will reverberate in Puducherry as well."
He assured that the secular democratic alliance would work tirelessly to secure full statehood for Puducherry.
"We would ensure that the elected CM has full powers and the powers of the Lieutenant Governor are curtailed. Civic polls will be conducted with reservations for women, Adi Dravidars, and backward classes, as recommended in the Sasidaran Commission report," he said.
Stalin also promised steps to include Puducherry in the Central Finance Commission, enabling 41 per cent devolution of funds as in full-fledged states.
He pledged initiatives for youth employment, reopening of closed textile mills through textile parks, upgrading municipalities in Puducherry and Karaikal into corporations, and setting up digital libraries in Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam.
DMK MP from Tamil Nadu S Jagathrakshakan presided over the rally.
Under the INDIA bloc seat-sharing arrangement, the Congress is contesting 16 seats, the DMK 13 seats, and the VCK one seat.