Take steps to protect Indian fishermen: Pondy CM to Modi

But, the former IPS officer had deliberatelydelayed in taking a decision for nearly two months and sentthe related file to the Centre in May, he said.He said there was no need for Bedi to send the file to theCentre.The Centre and Bedi are playing with the lives of thestudents without giving the green signal to our proposal forinternal quota for students from government schools inmedical education, the Chief Minister said.He contended that providing internal reservation is theabsolute right of the state government.


PTI | Puducherry | Updated: 23-01-2021 17:20 IST | Created: 23-01-2021 17:13 IST
Take steps to protect Indian fishermen: Pondy CM to Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi (File photo) Image Credit: ANI
  • Country:
  • India

Senior Congress leader andPuducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Saturday urged prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene immediately andensure protection of Indian fishermen facing attacks by theSri Lanka Navy and the Coast Guard.

Talking to reporters here, the Chief Minister, whoreturned from Delhi on Friday without being able to meet thePresident on replacing territorial Lieutenant Governor KiranBedi, said the Prime Minister should start a dialogue withthe Lankan government and ensure that Indian fishermen wereprotected.

There have been instances of fishermen from Tamil Naduand Puducherry facing hardship at the hands of the LankanNavy and Coast Guard.

''Instances of fishermen of Tamil Nadu being shot at andkilled, their properties seized and boats impounded duringthe attacks have come to cause concern,'' he said.

The Prime Minister should not remain as silent spectatorto these happenings, he said.

Narayanasamy charged Bedi and the Union Home Ministrywith deliberately delaying approval for the proposal of theterritorial government to earmark 10 per cent reservation forstudents passing out of the government schools here andaspiring for medical education in private medical colleges.

''We had sent our Cabinet decision to set apart 10 percent quota for students from government schools intending todo medical education here to the Lt Governor for approval inMarch last year. But, the former IPS officer had deliberatelydelayed in taking a decision for nearly two months and sentthe related file to the Centre in May,'' he said.

He said there was no need for Bedi to send the file to theCentre.

''The Centre and Bedi are playing with the lives of thestudents without giving the green signal to our proposal forinternal quota for students from government schools inmedical education,'' the Chief Minister said.

He contended that providing internal reservation is theabsolute right of the state government. Why should the LtGovernor and the Centre block the introduction ofreservation, he asked.

Narayanasamy said he and three of his cabinet colleagues-RKamalakannan, M Kandasamy, Malladi Krishna Rao-and loneMember of Parliament from here V Vaithilingam had intended tomeet President Ram Nath Kovind on January 21 to bring to hisnotice the unnecessary intervention by the Lt Governor inroutine administration of an elected government.

''We had also intended to urge the President to recall Bedisince almost all proposals of the elected government werered-flagged by her,'' he said.

` Narayanasamy said he could not meet the President as he(President) was preoccupied with the preparation of hisRepublic Day address and monitor other arrangements for teday.

The Chief Minister said he had information that thePresident would meet him during the first week of February ''We will meet the President next month and urge him to recallBedi.'' Narayanasamy said he had met the Union Minister of Statefor Energy (Independent charge) R K Singh and registered theterritorial government`s protest against the move of theCentre to privatise distribution of electricity here.

The Central Minister said he would send an official teamto Puducherry shortly to study the situation.

''I have also categorically told the Central minister thatthe Centre had decided to privatise the distribution ofenergy arbitrarily without consulting the Puducherrygovernment and employees unions,'' he said.

''We will place before the Central committee during itsvisit the reasons as to why the move for privatisation shouldbe dropped and status quo of power distribution through thedepartment should continue,'' the Chief Minister said. PTICORNVG NVG

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Give Feedback