PUDUCHERRY: In a major setback to the Congress, the party lost two members -- PWD minister A Namassivayam (who was also former PCC President) and Ossudu constituency MLA S Theeppainthan -- who tendered their resignations to the Speaker V P Sivakozhunthu on Monday morning.
Namassivayam also resigned from the post of Minister and MLA. They were accompanied by state BJP president V Saminathan when they met the Speaker, giving all indications of the two joining the BJP. After waiting for acceptance of the resignation, Namassivayam is slated to go to Delhi and join the party.
Namassivayam’s quitting the party has led to the resignation of 16 office bearers of the Pradesh Congress Committee and its frontal wings.
Among those who resigned are three state General Secretaries A V Veeraghavan, K Egabaram, and V Kannabiram, PCC Secretaries S Samraj and S K Sambath, President of Puducherry Youth Congress R Ramesh, Block Congress Presidents of Mannadipet, Ossudu, Thirubuvanai, special invitees and others.
With the Congress losing two MLAs, the strength of the party has come down to 12. However, there is no immediate threat to the government as it is supported by three DMK members and an independent, having a combined strength of 16 in the Assembly which has 29 elected members and three nominated members. The opposition NR Congress has seven, AIADMK four and BJP has three nominated members.
Namassivayam squarely blamed the Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and the party leadership for failing to respond to his grievances, which concerned issues relating to the people and their welfare. He said that he has written to party President Sonia Gandhi as well as Rahul Gandhi apprising them of the reason for his resignation. “There is no cooperation from the leadership, while the Chief Minister is only involved in confrontation with the Centre and Lt Governor, which has resulted in non-fulfillment of the election manifesto,” said Namassivayam.
Earlier, the PCC President A V Subramanian said that Namassivayam has been suspended from the primary membership for ‘anti-party’ activities by organizing meetings and speaking against the Congress and its leadership.
The 52-year-old Namassivayam started his political career in the nineties in the DMK and contested unsuccessfully for the first time in 1996 on a MDMK ticket. Subsequently he joined the TMC and won for the first time from Oulgaret constituency in 2001. Following the merger of the TMC with the Congress, he became a Congress member and since then won all elections in 2006 , 2011 and 2016.
Though the Congress fought the 2016 elections while he was the PCC President and he was projected as the next Chief Minister by V Narayanasamy in his speech during the election campaign in a bid to draw votes from the majority Vanniyar caste to which he belongs, yet after elections Narayanasamy who did not contest the elections went on to become the Chief Minister, causing great disappointment to him.
An agitated Namasivayam was pacified by the high command, which offered him the post of PCC president and second minister in the cabinet. However some time back he was stripped of the post of PCC president and A V Subramanian was appointed which triggered further frustration in Namasivayam. The last four years have seen growing differences between him and the Chief Minister and he drifted away from the party and has now quit it for better prospects.
Will not impact government or party, says CM
Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Monday claimed that the resignation of Namasivayam and Theepainthan will in no way affect his government.
Briefing newsmen, Narayanasamy refuting the claims of Namassivayam said that the minister was given full cooperation in the cabinet and he had never intervened in any of the departments allotted to Namasivayam. The speaker and himself will independently take a decision on their resignation letters.
The chief minister said that the party high command was apprised of the resignations and he will act as per the party's guidance. It is common that such issues will crop up during election time and the resignation was expected. Those joining the BJP will ‘vanish’ after the next elections, Narayanasamy said. The Chief Minister maintained that no one could destroy the Congress and the resignation of any legislators out of selfishness will not have any impact on the party in Puducherry.
If the party gives directions, the minister post will be given to another legislator, he said, adding that the government is still strong with the support of the DMK.