CM, ministerial colleagues stage dharna against 'denial' of permission to meet Minister on stir

Puducherry Chief Minister VNarayanasamy and his ministerial colleagues staged a dharnahere on Tuesday, protesting 'denial' of permission to meetWelfare Minister M Kandasamy, who has been on an indefinitestir against Lt Governor Kiran Bedi over alleged non-clearanceof certain project files.

The Chief Minister was on his way to meet Kandasamy,along with health minister Malladi Krishna Rao, revenueminister M O H F Shah Jahan and Vaithilingam, MP, when theywere stopped by central police personnel on duty outside RajNivas and reportedly denied permission to meet him.

Protesting against this, they squatted on the road andheated arguments ensued between Congress workers accompanyingthem and the security personnel.

Later the CM told reporters that he would leave for Delhion January 21 or 22, along with Kandasamy, to meet thePresident, seeking his intervention on the matter.

Kandasamy on Tuesday shifted the venue of his eight dayold dharna from outside the Assembly premises to the front ofthe Raj Nivas.

He has been on protest since January 10 against thealleged delay by Lt Governor Kiran Bedi in clearing filesrelated to his department.

However he suspended it on January 18 on the request ofthe speaker V P Sivakolundhu to attend the one day session ofthe territorial assembly, which adopted a resolution demandingrepeal of the central farm laws Police, including the members of the Central Armed Policeforces are on duty near Raj Nivas.

The central police personnel were deployed near Raj Nivasand other areas here in the wake of the three day stir by theruling Congress from January 8 to condemn the alleged negativestand of Kiran Bedi in approving schemes of the government.

Kandasamy had written to the Lt Governor, seeking ameeting with her to explain the schemes awaiting her nod.

The Lt Governor informed him that she had to acquaintherself with the status of the schemes by discussing it firstwith the officials concerned.

However Kandasamy insisted that these be approved andresorted to the indefinite dharna to protest the 'delay' inclearing files.

Meanwhile, residents of Krimambakkam village (Kandasamy'snative place) staged a road roko on Tuesday, extending supportto him and urging the Lt Governor to give her nod to theschemes without any further delay.