PUDUCHERRY: AIADMK legislature party leader A Anbazhagan on Thursday sought the intervention of Lt.Governor Kiran Bedi and the Union Home Ministry against Chief Minister V Narayanasamy for announcing an agitation by the Congress and its allies on September 28 to protest against the agriculture bills passed in the Parliament.
In a memorandum to Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi on Thursday with a copy to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Anbazhagan demanded that action be taken under the Disaster Management Act 2005 and Epidemic Diseases Act 1879 and ensure that there would be no agitation as it would pose a threat to the health of the people here.
He also urged the Union Home Ministry which has overall authority over the Union Territory to intervene and keep the Narayanasamy headed government here in animated suspension in the backdrop of the announcement made by the Chief Minister to hold the demonstrations. The decision to hold the agitation on September 28 was taken by the Congress and alliance partners affiliated to the Secular Democratic Alliance at a joint meeting held here on September 22, he said.
Already Puducherry is witnessing an unabated rise in the number of COVID cases and all efforts of the government including the steps taken by the health authorities on the basis of the recommendations of the ICMR and other expert bodies would go in waste and would be nullified if the agitation or demonstrations were held, he claimed.
Chief Minister who is the chairman of the State Disaster Management Authority is violating the provisions of the Disaster Management Act and Epidemic Diseases Act, as he himself would be one of the active participants in the proposed agitation, Anbazhagan pointed out.
He also said that the people will be misled by the politically motivated agitation and also several of them will fall prey to the virus. Hence, the central government and Lt.Governor should intervene to prevent the agitation.
Anbazhagan also said that the government of India had already given guidelines that no agitation be conducted during the COVID situation as the gathering of people will lead to the spread of infection. The politically motivated approach of the chief minister will only help the fast spread of the virus, he said.