PUDUCHERRY: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay, in his first rally since the Karur stampede, in Puducherry on Tuesday, said that despite being part of a coalition government, Puducherry and its long-standing demands, including statehood, have been ignored by the union government.
Despite its population of nearly 20 lakh, Puducherry is not covered under the ambit of the Central Finance Commission due to which there was no clear formula on the devolution of taxes to the union territory, he said.
“Each year, a certain amount is allocated. Most of it goes to salaries and pensions, so the Puducherry government is forced to borrow from the open market. If this is to change, statehood is the only solution,” he said, adding that the UT should be developed into an industrial hub.
Turning his focus to administrative flaws, he said, “A minister accused of corruption was removed 200 days ago, but a portfolio has not been allotted to the new minister. The people see this as an insult to minority communities.”
He also said that Puducherry was the only region without ration shops and that fishermen from Karaikal were frequently arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy, and their boats were not returned.
Thanking the UT government and Chief Minister N Rangasamy, Vijay said that “unlike the DMK government”, the Puducherry government provided security without bias.
“The DMK government in Tamil Nadu should learn from this, though I am certain they will not. The people will ensure they do in the upcoming election,” he said. He went on to caution voters against trusting the DMK, claiming that the party would betray them.
“For nearly 30 years, like Tamil Nadu, the people of Puducherry have supported me. I will also voice the concerns of Puducherry as well. That is my duty,” he added.
Crowd exceeds allowed limit
Police had granted permission for 5,000 people to attend the meeting and restricted entry only to those with passes. However, beyond a point, TVK functionaries allowed all people waiting outside to enter, resulting in the crowd swelling to more than 10,000 and subsequent heated exchanges between senior police officials and TVK office-bearers.
TVK general secretary N Anand and other functionaries allegedly argued with Senior Superintendent of Police Isha Singh, to allow entry to those without QR-code passes.
The officer said, “Many people have already lost their lives because of situations like this. If anything happens to anyone here, we are the ones who will be held responsible.”
Moreover, attendees were provided bags containing snacks and drinking water, but several of them said they were exhausted after standing for hours, as chairs were not provided either for the general public or for TVK functionaries and key invitees.