Narayanasamy-led Cong govt in Puducherry was a disaster says Modi

    Eds: Combining related stories, recasts intro
Puducherry, Mar 30 (PTI) Targeting senior Congress
leader V Narayanasamy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
Tuesday said the previous party government headed by him was
a 'disaster' that failed on all fronts and lampooned him
over not being fielded for the April 6 Assembly polls here.
    However, Narayanasamy, in an interview to PTI earlier
in the day, said he himself had informed the party high
command that he will involve in election work while the PCC
chief is in the fray here.
    Addressing an election rally of the NDA, attended by
AINRC founder and former chief minister N Rangasamy, AIADMK
and BJP leaders, Modi said he saw a "huge wave" in support of
the National Democratic Alliance in the poll-bound states of
Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and this union
territory.
    Training his guns against Narayanasamy, who resigned
as chief minister last month after his government was reduced
to a minority following a spate of resignations, Modi pointed
out that the senior Congress leader was not contesting the
polls this time.
"In the long list of non-performing Congress governments
over the years, the previous Puducherry government has a
special place.The high command government,Delhi high command
government of Puducherry failed on all fronts," he said.
    The Narayanasamy-led dispensation failed in all
sectors like education, filling of medical seats, welfare of
SC/ST communities and "there was loot and only loot," Modi
alleged.
    He alleged Congress MLAs were "openly talking"
about corruption "directly linked to the family of the former
chief minister."
    He had a "reasonably long experience in politics,"
Modi said, adding he has seen many elections but held that
this year's polls here were 'unique.'
    That is "because the sitting chief minister has not
been given a ticket. So many years of loyalty, lifting
slippers of leader, doing wrong translation to impress his
leader (Rahul Gandhi)-- still no ticket-- this clearly shows
how much of a disaster his government has turned out to be,"
Modi said about Narayanasamy.
    During a 2015 visit of flood affected areas here,
images purportedly showing Narayanasamy holding slippers for
Gandhi had gone viral, though the former claimed he offered
his footwear to the Congress leader after he removed his
shoes to wade through stagnant water.
    On the row surrounding his alleged wrong translation
to Gandhi of a woman complaining about his government during
the Wayanad MP's earlier visit, the former CM had said he had
not heard her but could only hear the word 'Nivar' (cyclone
that impacted the UT last November) and mentioned to his
leader he had actually rushed to the place soon after the
landfall of the weather system.
    Earlier in the day, Narayanasamy had ruled out any
possibility of him taking on the mantle of chief ministership
if the Congress-led alliance comes to power in Puducherry,
saying he would turn down such an offer and would work 24X7
to strengthen the party here.
     In remarks that came days after his name did not
figure in the list of 14 candidates announced by the Congress
for the Assembly polls, he asserted he was not in the fray as
there was a need to coordinate poll-related works and
programmes of the party in the Union Territory.
     In his telephonic interview with PTI, Narayanasamy
said, "our PCC chief (A V Subramanian) is contesting this
election. There should be coordination in the campaign and
among candidates, therefore, I myself told the high command
that I will take care of election work."
     "So, there is no question of leadership denying (me
a ticket). I myself said I will campaign," Narayanasamy, who
has been the face of the party in the Union Territory since
he became the Puducherry CM in 2016 till his government fell
in February, asserted.
    On Tuesday, Modi, sharing dais with NDA leaders for
the first time after the announcement of single phase polls
in the UT, said that the promises in Congress' manifesto (of
2016) have not been fulfilled.
    "Even now Congress is not giving a report card of the
work they done in the five years," he said.
    Modi said that after the election to five states were
announced he had been to Assam and West Bengal quite a few
times and pointed out he was in Kerala and neighbouring Tamil
Nadu earlier in the day, before arriving here.
    "In all four states and UT, I am seeing a huge wave in
favour of the NDA," he said.
    While BJP is seeking another term in Assam, it aims
to upset the ruling TMC and CPIM-led LDF in West Bengal and
Kerala, respectively.
    Its ally AIADMK is seeking another term in Tamil
Nadu, after winning the 2011 and 2016 polls.
Underlining his government's commitment to Puducherry,
Modi listed the various initiatives in different sectors
including medical education, fishing and sports and said the
UT could play a key role in the Centre's "Atmanirbhar
Bharat", an idea of attaining self-sufficiency in various
spheres.
    In his address, Rangasamy said the UT witnessed "dark
period" during Congress-DMK rule in Puducherry in the last
five years and said it had failed all sections of people
including the unemployed youth.
    Meanwhile, in a video message here, Narayanasamy
alleged that Puducherry's constitutional status will be lost
if BJP is voted to power.
    BJP was not interested in granting statehood to
Puducherry and the UT would face the same situation like
Delhi, where the LG has been given more powers after a bill
was passed in Parliament, and it would be at the 'mercy' of
the Lieutenant Governor for implementing schemes and
proposals, he claimed. PTI CORR ASK BJ SA
BN BN

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)