PUDUCHERRY: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the NDA government in Puducherry spent the past five years “filling big ditches” left by the previous Congress-led regime, and has now laid the foundation for accelerated development of the Union Territory.
Addressing a rally at Thirukkanur in the Mannadipet constituency, where Puducherry Home Minister A Namassivayam is the BJP candidate, Shah alleged large-scale irregularities under the government led by former Chief Minister V Narayanasamy. Citing a CAG report, he claimed there were financial discrepancies amounting to Rs 15,000 crore. “This is equivalent to three years of Puducherry’s budget,” he said.
Shah said unemployment, which he claimed had touched 47% under the Congress government, has now come down to 4.3%.
Listing welfare measures, Shah said financial assistance for fishermen would be increased from Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000, while support for farmers would be raised from Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000. He also said steps would be taken to revive the sugar mills at Lingareddypalayam and Ariyur through private partnerships. To support rural livelihoods, Shah said women in villages would be provided either a milch cow or two goats free of cost.
The union minister further said an IT corridor would be created to transform Puducherry into an industrial hub. “Acer is already manufacturing three lakh laptops a year here, and more companies will follow,” he added. Praising Namassivayam, he said the minister provided job opportunities to youth through job fairs.
Targeting the INDIA bloc, Shah claimed there was a lack of unity among Opposition parties, with Left parties leaving the alliance and DMK and Congress competing against each other in five constituencies. He also took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of misleading the public on increasing fuel prices, saying that it indeed was the case, not in India but in neighbouring Pakistan.
Asserting that the NDA remains united, Shah appealed to voters to re-elect the alliance with a two-thirds majority, promising to develop the UT as a model region under the Viksit Bharat vision. Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Puducherry BJP president VP Ramalingam among others were present.