Welfare Minister calls off dharna on request by CM

(Eds; adding details) Puducherry, Jan 19 (PTI): Puducherry Welfare Minister MKandasamy on Tuesday ended his over a week long dharna,protesting the alleged delay by Lt Governor Kiran Bedi inclearing certain project files, after Chief Minister VNarayanasamy requested him to call it off.

Earlier, Narayanasamy and his ministerial colleaguesstaged a dharna here, protesting 'denial' of permission bycentral forces to meet Kandasamy. However he was later allowedto meet him.

The Chief Minister informed Kandasamy that he would leada delegation of ministers to Delhi on January 21 or 22 to meetthe President, seeking his intervention to sort out variousdifferences with the Lt Governor.

The welfare minister then ended his dharna and returnedto his office, accompanied by the Chief Minister and othercolleagues.

Later Kandasamy was admitted to the government generalhospital here for a medical check up after he complained offatigue, official sources said Kandasamy had gone on an indefinite dharna outside theAssembly premises since January 10 over the matter.

He suspended it on January 18 on the request of thespeaker V P Sivakolundhu to attend the one day session of theterritorial assembly, which adopted a resolution demandingrepeal of the central farm laws.

On Tuesday morning, he shifted the venue from theassembly premises to the front of the Raj Nivas.