Narayanasamy favours statehood with special status

PUDUCHERRY: Criticising the ruling AINRC's demand for mere statehood for Puducherry, Union Minister and Congress candidate in the lone Lok Sabha seat in the Union territory V Narayanasamy today said statehood with special category status alone would be beneficial to the people.

Launching his campaign for re-election in the April 24 elections at a meeting of Mahila Congress here, he said mere statehood would be "disadvantageous" and "injurious" as it would only bring more political powers and hit hard the government employees and the people at large.

Referring to Chief Minister N Rangasamy's persistent demand for statehood, he said if it were to happen, only a 30 per cent grant would be given by the Centre and the state would have to mobilise remaining 70 per cent of its financial requirements on its own. Whereas special category status would ensure 47 per cent grant.

Stating that the Union Territory witnessed faster development due to the schemes Congress had evolved and implemented here, he claimed the nearly three-and-half year rule by the Rangasamy led AINRC Government had "failed all sections of people, including students and mill workers".

"The workers of the century-old AFT mill are suffering as the mill was left in the cold," he said.

Listing out various projects implemented here by the Centre, he said although Congress was going it alone in the Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the party would create history and establish a good record by highlighting its performance.