PUDUCHERRY: Former chief minister V Narayanasamy on Thursday urged the Puducherry government to conduct the recruitment of nurses by conducting entrance examinations instead of awarding marks on preferential grounds. He warned that the Congress would move the court if the current selection process was not reviewed.
Speaking to reporters, Narayanasamy criticised the ongoing recruitment of 712 nurses for Indira Gandhi Government Medical College & Research Institute (IGMCRI), and objected to the allocation of five marks for those who worked in government hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic, and 15 marks based on employment seniority.
“This system goes against the established recruitment procedure of Puducherry government, which has always followed entrance-based selection. Making an exception now raises serious doubts,” he said. He further alleged that the process lacked transparency and pointed out that IGMCRI operates under a hospital society, which mandates adherence to proper recruitment norms. “If recruitment is not done through an entrance exam, we will not hesitate to approach the court,” he warned.
Narayanasamy also levelled corruption charges against the BJP–NRC coalition government, accusing it of irregularities in the issuance of licences to wholesale and retail liquor shops and restobars. While licence fees for FL1 (wholesale) and FL2 (retail) shops had been steeply increased, fees for FL2 (tourism category) were only marginally raised, allegedly to benefit restobars for obvious reasons, he claimed.
“PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah claim there is no corruption under BJP rule. Yet they remain silent on the misdeeds of their alliance government in Puducherry,” he alleged, urging the centre to intervene and ensure fairness in recruitment and governance in the union territory.
Narayanasamy also accused the BJP of double standards, alleging that the organisation led by Jose Charles Martin was functioning as the “B team” of the BJP. He claimed that Minister John Kumar and BJP MLAs were seen openly participating in several programmes alongside Martin.
While BJP state president V Ramalingam had denied any links with him, Narayanasamy questioned his failure to act against the party members involved. He also alleged that Jose Charles Martin’s team distributed freebies in constituencies held by BJP allies — AINRC and AIADMK — but not in BJP constituencies, exposing the party’s internal politics.