Corruption rampant in Puducherry, hampering development: Former CM

The NDA rule at the Centre had been ignoring Puducherry on several counts, he said.He criticised the territorial government for letting celebration of New Year in Puducherry although such fetes were banned in neighbouring States.

Former Chief Minister of Puducherry and senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy said here on Saturday that the ruling AINRC-led government has failed to mount pressure on the Centre to grant the Union Territory statehood.

Addressing reporters, the former Chief Minister said malpractices have spread to every wing of the administration and that was hampering development.

He said the territorial government that also includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has failed in getting statehood.

''The government pleases itself by adopting in the Assembly a resolution to seek statehood, but no follow-up action was taken,'' said Narayanasamy.

The previous Congress government led by him had pressured the Prime Minister, Home Minister and Finance Minister to sanction statehood, he said. ''The NDA rule at the Centre had been ignoring Puducherry on several counts,'' he said.

He criticised the territorial government for letting celebration of New Year in Puducherry although such fetes were banned in neighbouring States. ''Already, two cases of Omicron have been reported in Puducherry. Any sluggish or lax approach will only aggravate the situation,'' he said.

Narayanasamy said the government has failed to tackle unemployment problem, inflation and other issues.

He said he was praying to the Almighty for a coronavirus-free New Year in Puducherry.