PUDUCHERRY: As an impasse over the induction of ministers continue in Puducherry due to the friction between the two parties, BJP is expecting Chief Minister N Rangasamy to fulfil the 'understanding' that the parties outlined together before Rangasamy was elected leader of the alliance.
“Before Rangasamy was made the CM, we had an understanding with regards to the sharing of ministers and the posts of Deputy Chief Minister and Speaker would be given to BJP. Accordingly, he has to fulfil them now,” Nirmal Kumar Surana, BJP observer for Puducherry told The New Indian Express.
“It is an NDA government, where Chief Minister is from AINRC and Deputy Chief Minister is from BJP,” said Surana.
The BJP observer claimed that Puducherry can have a provision for the Deputy Chief Minister. However he said that he was not aware of the technicalities of the process involved.
“Whatever needs to be done should be done by the Chief Minister in this regard," he said when pointing out that it would require the approval of the Central government and the following of due process.
The bone of contention, although, lies in who is to be given the post of the Speaker.
When asked about the number of ministerial berths the BJP was seeking and whether BJP was insisting about specific portfolios, he said that there was already an understanding on it and the portfolios could be discussed and decided.
So far there has been no response from the Chief minister, he said.
“The AINRC secretary NSJ Jayabal had told me that Chief Minister would contact me after recovering from Covid and I am waiting for it," said Nirmal Kumar Surana who has reached Bengaluru after a two-day interaction with the MLAs and party functionaries in Puducherry.
“Earlier he was down with Covid infection. But now that it has been more than a week since his recovery, he has to act. He knows what we had decided. The ministers need to be inducted and the NDA government has to get going," he said
“People are facing a terrible pandemic, so we want the CM to meet us and finalise the cabinet. We have to form a Special task force for Covid -19 management (under Health minister) as early as possible," said Surana.
He added that as per the direction of the BJP national party, partymen are working and being helpful to people during the pandemic. "The BJP MLAs and Independent MLAs supporting the BJP have decided to give one month of their salary to the Corona Relief Fund of the government," said Surana.
The BJP having enhanced its strength to 12 with the appointment of three more nominated MLAs, and the support of three independent MLAs -- more than AINRC's 10, has been giving an impression that the party is going to bargain hard. When asked about it, he said the party is not going by numbers, but the pre-poll alliance and post-poll understanding reached among the party members.
The BJP will abide by the prepoll alliance and cited the example of Bihar government where Nitish Kumar was made leader of the alliance even with just 43 MLAs in the party, while the BJP has 73 MLAs.