Congress MLA clarifies on meeting BJP leader

Puducherry, Dec 11 PTI Ruling Congress legislator A John Kumar on Friday clarified that his recent meeting with the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP leader in-charge of party affairs in Puducherry Nirmal Kumar Kurana was a courtesy call and not for political reasons.

Puducherry, Dec 11 (PTI): Ruling Congress legislator A John Kumar on Friday clarified that his recent meeting with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in-charge of party affairs in Puducherry Nirmal Kumar Kurana was a courtesy call and not for political reasons. John Kumar said he had met Kurana while on his way to the Union Territory and the meeting went viral in the social media.

The legislator told PTI that ''It was out of courtesy and personal reasons I met Kurana, there is no political significance.'' PCC leader A V Subramanian, in the meanwhile, said in a release that he had informed the AICC of John Kumar's meeting with the BJP leader and also his (Kumar's) subsequent press interviews that he would quit the Congress. Subramanian said John Kumar had met the BJP leader six months ago and alleged the meeting was to escape the outcome of the income tax raid.

''The PCC and the AICC are aware of everything,'' the Subramanian said. John Kumar was elected first in 2016 from Nellithope constituency and resigned from the MLA post necessitating an by-election at Nellithope to enable senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy contest and become member of the Assembly.

Narayanasamy became Chief Minister in April 2016 without being elected from any segment and contested the bypoll in November that year after John Kumar vacated the seat.PTI COR NVG NVG.