PUDUCHERRY: In a scathing attack on the BJP-led union government, DMK cadre staged a massive demonstration near the Anna statue on Monday, accusing the centre of neglecting Puducherry in the Union budget as the people did not extend their support to the national party in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Puducherry DMK convener and opposition leader R Siva, who led the demonstration, alleged the centre was cheating the Puducherry people by not allocating adequate funds for the region's development. He said the centre has not yet addressed Puducherry's long-standing demand for statehood, for which 14 resolutions have been adopted in the Assembly.
A significant point of contention raised during the protest was the discrepancy in allocating funds for medical institutions. The AIIMS in Delhi received Rs 4,523 crore this year, while JIPMER has been allocated only Rs 1,440 crore, down by Rs 50 crore compared to the previous year’s Rs 1490.43 crore.
Of the allocated amount, the centre released only Rs 1,307 crore. Siva said the shortfall has severely impacted medical services and patient care. Due to this, JIPMER has now begun charging patients for treatment, he said.
Additionally, Siva said the promises for the Rs 425-crore expansion of the airport remain unfulfilled. He criticised the centre for not responding to critical infrastructure projects like the Chennai–Mahabalipuram–Puducherry and Tindivanam–Puducherry–Cuddalore links.
Further, the DMK leader highlighted the lack of opportunities to fill vacancies in government departments and the closure of five textile mills in Puducherry, which did not receive the same funding as those in Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Siva demanded that the centre pay attention to the union territory's financial needs, especially in light of the GST contributions and income tax revenue generated from the region. The protest, according to Siva, aims to take the "tyranny of the union government" to the people, urging them to recognise the neglect and push for better treatment and resources from the centre.
With the seven BJP MLAs challenging the chief minister on how the Assembly would be conducted without them, the people of Puducherry want the CM to leave the BJP alliance, said Siva.
Former minister and state deputy organiser S P Sivakumar, MLAs V Anibal Kennedy, R Senthilkumar and L Sampath, and several DMK functionaries took part in the demonstration.