PUDUCHERRY

Questioning Chief Minister N. Rangasamy over his decision to skip the Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog held recently in New Delhi, former MP and president of Puducherry Maanila Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam M. Ramadass has said the government has lost an opportunity to use an important national platform to present the developmental needs of the Union Territory by the Chief Minister’s decision. 

In a statement, he said the NITI Aayog had met 11 times so far and it was a matter of concern that Mr. Rangasamy has not attended any of these meetings. Participation in national-policy forums is not merely a procedural formality but an important responsibility that enabled leaders to advance the interests of their people, seek support for development initiatives and make the voice of the territory heard at the national level, the statement said. 

“By remaining absent from such a high-level meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister has effectively neglected an important political and administrative responsibility. He owes an explanation to the people on the continued absence from meetings of national importance. As an elected Chief Minister, he must provide a clear explanation to the public regarding this consistent non-participation,” he said. 

Instead of attending, Chief Minister decided to submit a memorandum to the Central government. The Chief Minister appears to have “misunderstood” the purpose of the meeting by limiting his intervention to demands relating to finance, such as bringing Puducherry within the purview of recommendations of Finance Commission or increasing Central assistance by 10% until inclusion of the Union Territory was made possible. 

While there was complete justification for seeking Finance Commission coverage for Puducherry, achieving that objective required the preparation of strong technical documentation with assistance from experts and direct representation to the Prime Minister, Home and Finance Ministers.

The government should press for necessary constitutional amendments to facilitate such a change. The two Members of Parliament should continue to raise the issue in Parliament. Instead of pursuing these concrete efforts, merely forwarding demands while staying away from the NITI Aayog meeting cannot be regarded as a responsible approach to safeguard the interest of Puducherry, the statement said.