Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party Chief Arvind Kejriwal on Monday demanded statehood for both the national capital and Puducherry, saying people in these two union territories should not be discriminated against. Kejriwal alleged that the situations in the two union territories are the same.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with his Deputy Manish Sisodia joined Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy who is on sit-in since Wednesday last week. Besides Chief Minister, his ministerial colleagues and MLAs of the ruling Congress and its ally DMK are staging the dharna accusing Bedi of adopting a “negative stand” towards the proposals, including a free rice scheme, awaiting her approval.
READ Puducherry CM V Narayanasamy, Ministers’ Dharna against L-G Kiran Bedi enters the Second Day
Visited Puducherry CM @VNarayanasami to express solidarity wid the people of Puducherry. @VNarayanasami is fighting against a dictatorship of Puducherry’s LG. UT status to Del n Puducherry is an injustice to their people. We will fight together for full statehood’ Delhi Chief Minister tweeted.’
Visited puducherry CM @VNarayanasami to express solidarity wid the people of Puducherry. @VNarayanasami is fighting against dictatorship of Puducherry’s LG. UT status to Del n Puducherry is an injustice to their people. We will fight together for full statehood. pic.twitter.com/AfK0fKmfdZ
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 18, 2019
“The LG of Puducherry is creating a lot of obstacles in the development work and creating problems for the elected government. We are facing exactly similar problems in Delhi,” Kejriwal, the AAP chief, told reporters at the airport here.
The Lieutenant Governors in both Delhi and Puducherry were appointees of the BJP-led government at the Centre, he said. “I have come to express solidarity with Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanaswamy.
We will demand that both Delhi and Puducherry be made full (fledged) states. There is no reason why people of these states should be discriminated against,” he said. Asked if the Aam Aadmi Party would contest from Tamil Nadu or offer support to other parties, he said it would be made known later.
Puducherry CM Narayanasamy thanked Arvind Kejriwal. He said in a tweet, ‘I thank Shri @ArvindKejriwal ji and Shri Manish Sisodia ji for visiting our #Dharna and expressed solidarity wid the people of #Puducherry for fighting against dictatorship and undemocratic functioning of @LGov_Puducherry’.
I thank Shri @ArvindKejriwal ji and Shri Manish Sisodia ji for visiting our #Dharna and expressed solidarity wid the people of #Puducherry for fighting against dictatorship and undemocratic functioning of @LGov_Puducherry. pic.twitter.com/VmbvdeuHCA
— V.Narayanasamy (@VNarayanasami) February 18, 2019
Chief Minister Narayanasamy has accused Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi of not approving his government’s 39 proposals for welfare schemes, including a free rice scheme, and on administrative matters.
READ: Another L-G Vs CM Tussle: Puducherry CM V Narayanasamy declines to hold talks with LG Kiran Bedi
Chief Minister Narayanasamy had led an agitation in front of the Parliament on January 4, demanding that the Centre sanction statehood for Puducherry and replace Kiran Bedi as the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor and the government headed by Narayanasamy had been at loggerheads over various issues ever since Kiran Bedi assumed office in May 2016.
Notably, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had faced similar power tussle in Delhi with Lt. Governors since AAP stormed to power in 2015 in National Capital. The Top Court had recently announced its verdict on various issues.
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