Drive away forces that ruined Puducherry, says Stalin

DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K Stalin on Monday mounted a scathing attack on assailed the ruling AINRC-BJP coalition government in Puducherry and appealed to the people to drive away the forces that have “ruined the Union Territory.”

Canvassing votes for the candidates of the DMK, Congress, and VCK for the Assembly election in Puducherry, he said the collective sentiment of people of Tamil Nadu is that the “Dravidian Model” government should return. “The people don’t want a bunch of slaves nodding to Delhi’s remote control, and the same feeling exists among the people in Puducherry too,” he said.

Mr. Stalin said the unified demand of Puducherry was Statehood. Though the territorial government had passed resolutions 16 times in the Assembly seeking Statehood, the Centre had not budged. “The BJP wants States such as Tamil Nadu to become municipalities. Similarly, they are treating Puducherry at the panchayat level,” he said.

“Do Ministers here have power? Does the Chief Minister elected by the people have respect? The Lt. Governor rules here and they have kept the Chief Minister N. Rangasamy as a puppet. It’s not just Puducherry; protecting democracy is in your hands. The government you elect must work for you and not merely implement orders from Delhi,” he added.

Mr. Stalin said the ruling AINRC-BJP government had imposed CBSE curriculum even in primary schools, destroying the Mother Tongue. This alliance is both anti-Tamil and against Tamils. “While the Prime Minister Narendra Modi claims that Puducherry will be transformed into “Best Puducherry”, it has become Worst Puducherry,” he said.

According to him, the people of Puducherry would not be fooled this time and were ready for a change. “We will implement Tamil Nadu’s progressive schemes in Puducherry,” he said.