Puducherry CM, Colleagues Stage Stir Against ‘Denial’ of Permission to Meet Agitating Minister

Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and his ministerial colleagues staged a dharna here on Tuesday, protesting ‘denial’ of permission to meet Welfare Minister M Kandasamy, who has been on an indefinite stir against Lt Governor Kiran Bedi over alleged non-clearance of certain project files. The Chief Minister was on his way to meet Kandasamy, along with health minister Malladi Krishna Rao, revenue minister M O H F Shah Jahan and Vaithilingam, MP, when they were stopped by central police personnel on duty outside Raj Nivas and reportedly denied permission to meet him.

Protesting against this, they squatted on the road and heated arguments ensued between Congress workers accompanying them and the security personnel. Later the CM told reporters that he would leave for Delhi on January 21 or 22, along with Kandasamy, to meet the President, seeking his intervention on the matter.

Kandasamy on Tuesday shifted the venue of his eight day old dharna from outside the Assembly premises to the front of the Raj Nivas. He has been on protest since January 10 against the alleged delay by Lt Governor Kiran Bedi in clearing files related to his department.

However he suspended it on January 18 on the request of the speaker V P Sivakolundhu to attend the one day session of the territorial assembly, which adopted a resolution demanding repeal of the central farm laws Police, including the members of the Central Armed Police forces are on duty near Raj Nivas. The central police personnel were deployed near Raj Nivas and other areas here in the wake of the three day stir by the ruling Congress from January 8 to condemn the alleged negative stand of Kiran Bedi in approving schemes of the government.

Kandasamy had written to the Lt Governor, seeking a meeting with her to explain the schemes awaiting her nod. The Lt Governor informed him that she had to acquaint herself with the status of the schemes by discussing it first with the officials concerned.

However Kandasamy insisted that these be approved and resorted to the indefinite dharna to protest the ‘delay’ in clearing files. Meanwhile, residents of Krimambakkam village (Kandasamy’s native place) staged a road roko on Tuesday, extending support to him and urging the Lt Governor to give her nod to the schemes without any further delay.