Hectic parleys in BJP to retain NR Congress in Pondy
CHENNAI: With the risk of NR Congress abandoning the BJP looming large, the Puducherry in charge of the party Rajiv Chandrasekhar is shuttling between Chennai and Puducherry meeting party office bearers to ensure the alliance stays intact for the April 6 polls.
Amidst this uncertainty, the DMK’s invitation to N Rangasamy (NR)Congress has rattled both the AIADMK and the BJP in neighbouring Union Territory.
Addressing reporters here on Friday, Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Chandrasekhar said that his party was confident of putting up a good show in the assembly polls and said it would be a fight between the NDA and the Congress and DMK in the union territory as well as TN.
“The Congress and DMK have been in alliance before. Stalin talks of Singara Chennai, despite leaving Puducherry in ruins after five years of governance with the Congress. The DMK and Congress left India rattled by corruption and economic tatters after ten years of government,” he charged.
Accusing both the DMK and Congress of promoting nepotism, the BJP leader said, “This is not about politics of rising sun but about rising sons. They only looted the country, and it is not politics of development. We believe in taking money from Spectrum option and giving free gas cylinders, electricity and water to every home in this country.” To a query on the increasing fuel prices, Chandrasekhar blamed the state governments for equally levying tax components adding to the global prices that are increasing.
“Fuel pricing has to be reformed. It should be brought under the GST. State governments want to control their excise collection through fuel. Fuel pricing is a complex issue because both state and centre are earning sizable revenue through that,” the BJP MP said.
Claiming that India was doing better than other countries in the COVID-19 fight, he said that the government did not increase taxes despite the pandemic.