AIADMK wants special category status for Puducherry

Puducherry, Aug 9: Opposition AIADMK today demanded that the Centre grant special category status to Puducherry so that "the current tussle" between Chief Minister Narayanasamy and Lt Governor Kiran Bedi could come to an end.

AIADMK Legislature wing leader A Anbalagan said although Narayanasamy had been claiming often that there was no tussle between the Ministry and the Lt Governor, "the government is now in coma condition." He said if Narayanasamy's claim that relations between his ministry and the Lt Governor were cordial, were true, why did the Chief Minister and Lt Governor camp separately in Delhi and meet separately the Prime Minister and other Ministers recently.

"They should have met the Central Ministers together and made out a case for financial assistance from the Centre to Puducherry," he said. "There is no clear picture of the allocations the Centre had released for Puducherry as the budget session of the Assembly, already due, is yet to be held," he said.

The new Assembly after the May 16 polls was constituted three months ago."But budget session is yet to be convened," he said.

PTI