Jayalalithaa accuses Puducherry CM of betrayal

NEW DELHI: The AIADMK on Thursday walked out of the Puducherry ruling alliance following All India NR Congress' refusal to share power with it in the Union Territory. AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa, who announced the withdrawal of support to the new government accused Chief Minister N Rangasamy of political betrayal.

"The people of Puducherry voted for the AIADMK-AINRC combine only due to their confidence in me and my party, as I had campaigned for the alliance for the elections. Puducherry Chief Minister Rangasamy's unilateral announcement of a single party rule amounts to betrayal," she said in a strongly-worded statement. The AIADMK has five members in the assembly.

The decision of the AIADMK will not affect the stability of the new government. The AINRC, which has 15 MLAs in the assembly, also enjoys the support of an independent member VMC Sivakumar.

In her statement, Jayalalithaa said while Rangasamy, who had floated the party after his ouster as Chief Minister of Puducherry following intra-party revolt against him, had talked about "betrayal" by the Congress then, he had done the same to the AIADMK now.

Jayalalithaa said she greeted Rangasamy before he was to take over the reins, but he had not returned the gesture, which she claimed amounted to not being loyal. "He did not even inform me when he went to meet the Lieutenant Governor to stake claim to form the government. His joining hands with Sivakumar, who won against an AIADMK candidate, to form a single-government is against coalition dharma," she said. Condemning his activities, Jayalalithaa said her party would now work as a "constructive opposition".

Rangasamy, who quit the Congress ahead of the ahead of the 2011 polls, succeded in arresting the Congress tally at 7. The party had contested 17 seats.

The performance of the Congress ally, the DMK, was dismal as it could win only two of the 10 seats it contested. PMK drew a blank losing both the seats it contested. Another ally, VCK, also lost the polls.