PUDUCHERRY: After the Left parties and AIADMK, now Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee resorted to a similar agitation by locking up Fair Price Shops (FPS) protesting against the failure of the N R Congress government to provide free rice through the outlets in opposition constituencies.
Led by Congress legislator K Lakshminarayanan of Raj Bhavan constituency, Congress leaders and volunteers locked three of the nine ration shops in the constituency and staged a demonstration. After police intervened, the protestors allowed the other six shops to function.
Former Union Minister V Narayanasamy, PCC president A V Subramanian and leader of the opposition V Vaithilingam, were among those who participated in the agitation. Later, speaking to the media, Narayansamy said, during the Congress rule people received 10 kg of single boiled rice, 5 kg wheat, sugar and palmoline oil regularly through FPS. Now they could avail nothing through these shops. The NR Congress government provided free rice for just one month prior to the Lok Sabha elections to secure their votes, but after that it was stopped. It was only being provided to people in the Chief Minister’s constituency, others are deprived, he said.
V Narayanasamy charged that the double boiled rice was being procured from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and was polished before being supplied to the people in the Chief Minister’s constituency.
Referring to the allegation by the AINRC during the Lok Sabha campaign that he (Narayansamy ) was blocking funds to Puducherry from the Centre, the former Union Minister demanded to know who was blocking funds now. Though AINRC was an ally of the BJP , he questioned the reason behind government not getting adequate funds. Three months back, the file pertaining to the appointment of nominated members to the territorial assembly was forwarded to the Centre, he said and questioned who was blocking it now. The NR Congress came to power after misleading people, he said, adding that “the people could not be cheated all the time”.
The “inefficiency” of the present government was hindering everything, the Former Union Minister added. Even ruling party legislators were taking to the road and organising agitations in front of government offices, Narayansamy said.