PUDUCHERRY: Close on the heels of Puducherry BJP MLAs expressing their grievances against Chief Minister N Rangasamy, exposing turbulence in the AINRC-BJP alliance, Independent MLA P Angalan who supports the BJP staged a dharna on the lobby of the UT assembly on Friday protesting against the CM for allegedly neglecting his Thirubuvanai constituency. The protest was called off following talks.
The MLA, a former minister, alleged that despite him supporting the BJP, the CM was not consulting him on matters pertaining to his constituency and was not addressing the basic issues which he had brought to the CM's notice. He accused the CM of arbitrarily appointing members in temple trusts and milk societies and complained that issues relating to drinking water, road construction facilities were not addressed and none was employed under the MGNREGA scheme for the past one-and-a-half years in his constituency.
BJP MLA PML Kalyanasundaram, Leader of the Opposition R Siva, DMK MLA L Sampath also joined Angalan and extended their support to the dharna. The Independent MLAs supporters from Thirubuvanai, too, gathered in front of the assembly and raised slogans in support of the MLA. A protester said the government had appointed supporters of the former AINRC MLA B Gobika in the temple trust and milk society, ignoring Angalan’s recommendations. Angalan had defeated Gobika in the last assembly elections. Police removed the protesters and later sealed the area. The CM, however, did not turn up.
Later, Speaker R Selvam met the MLA and advised him to withdraw the protest on the promise that he would raise the grievances with the CM. Home Minister A Namassivayam, who is the leader of BJP Legislature party, held talks with Angalan, Selvam and Kalyanasundaram in the Speaker's chamber after which they met Lt Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararjan in the Raj Nivas where the MLA expressed his grievances to the L-G.
Subsequently, the protest was withdrawn. Recently, the State president of the BJP, V Saminathan, said the grievances of their MLAs would be taken up with the party leadership if the CM had not not redressed them.