: DMK today lambasted Minister of State in PMO V Narayanasamy for his 'anti-statehood stance' though such an upgradation would bring several benefits to the union territory.
Taking exception to his U turn on the issue, DMK's local unit convenor M A S Subramanian said in a release that the MoS had been pleading for statehood with special category status, which was different from the stand he took pleading for statehood before AINRC government came to power in 2011.
(Narayanasamy is seeking reelection from here to the lone Lok Sabha seat).
Subramanian alleged that the Minister was bowing to pressure from party legislator from Yanam, Malladi Krishna Rao, to give up the demand and to insist on continuation of Union Territory status for Puducherry.
Yanam is an enclave of the union territory.
Rao has resisted any government move to procure statehood and contends Puducherry should continue being a UT so there would be no threat of merger of Yanam with Andhra Pradesh.
Subramaniam said Puducherry is now kept outside Central Finance Commission and so is not entitled to share in revenue mobilised here by the Centre in several central sectors.
The MoS should have taken steps as representative from here for inclusion of Puducherry in the Finance Commission as Puduchery has an elected Assembly, he said.
