Puducherry Assembly: DMK, Congress MLAs stage walkout over privatisation of power sector

The opposition DMK and Congress MLAs walked out of the Puducherry Assembly on Monday after Home and Electricity Minister A Namassivayams statement that the government had taken a firm decision to allow private firms to also take up power distribution in the Union Territory.

The opposition DMK and Congress MLAs walked out of the Puducherry Assembly on Monday after Home and Electricity Minister A Namassivayam's statement that the government had taken a firm decision to allow private firms to also take up power distribution in the Union Territory. Expressing strong protest against the government's move, Leader of Opposition R Siva of the DMK said the decision to privatise power sector is ''anti-people'' and against the interests of the employees in the Department of Electricity.

All six members of the DMK and the two members belonging to the Congress staged a walkout of the House. The Minister said he did not want to ''elaborate more on the issue as the matter was now sub-judice''. All opposition members, however, returned to the House a few minutes later to participate in the proceedings. Replying to several supplementary questions on the power sector issue earlier in the House, the Home Minister said there was no sale of land to any private player. Namassivayam also said that as much as Rs 257.43 crore collected from policy holders (who got power connection) had been kept in fixed deposit in the banks. He also said Rs 536 crore remained outstanding from industrial units and domestic consumers towards power tariff.

When LoP Siva wanted the Home Minister to clarify the stand of the government as to whether the power sector would be privatised, Namassivayam stated in no uncertain terms that the government had decided to open up the power sector. As soon as the minister made the announcement, all the DMK and Congress members in the opposition bloc stormed out with Siva leading them.

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