Puducherry, Apr 3: Veteran Congress leader V Narayanasamy has alleged that the Chief Minister N Rangasamy-led Cabinet is in the dock in the counterfeit drugs manufacturing scam involving supplies to 8 states and alleged ‘Rs 40 lakh bribe for a Resto bar licence’, while slamming the doubling of bars from 400 to 800 in the past 5 years during the AINRC-BJP coalition government.
The 78-year old former chief minister, speaking to PTI, alleged “30 per cent commission collection in the Public Works Department” and Rs 40 lakh bribe for a Resto bar licence and 30 per cent commission related to Smart city project implementation and commission in several other procurement and corruption for registering properties and in getting pattas.”
Narayanasamy, also a former Union Minister of State and a 3-time Rajya Sabha MP, alleged that the entire Rangasamy Cabinet is in the dock in the counterfeit drugs manufacturing scam involving supplies to 8 states. He did not elaborate.
When pointed out that Chief Minister Rangasamy said the matter is being probed by the CBI and did not wish to comment when the probe is in the hands of the Central agency, he dismissed all allegations as “baseless and unfounded”.
Narayanasamy said: “When I was the CM between 2016 and 2021, the law and order maintenance was pretty good; there was excellent growth of 95 in pass percentage in the education sector and lives of people were saved during Coronavirus. We successfully gave good governance for 5 years, overcoming the trouble caused by then Lt Gov Kiran Bedi.”
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently claiming that his mantra of BEST Puducherry –Business, Education, Spirituality and Tourism– and over the past four and a half years, this vision “is bearing fruit,” Narayanasamy claimed that business faced a big decline in the union territory following the implementation of GST.
Pass percentage has fallen to about 73 per cent and 10,000 children drop out of schools every year, he alleged.
He asked, “In every street there is a restobar and in a single street there are 11 restobars. Women are unable to freely move out, especially at night it is a huge problem. Is this spirituality?
Further, he said: “When I became the CM, there were 400 bars across Puducherry, including the regions of Karaikkal, Mahe and Yanam and I did not permit even one more bar. We decided that 400 is enough. After Rangasamy became the CM, the number of bars doubled as permission was given to 400 more bars. Will Puducherry be able to put up with 800 bars? Did people of Puducherry demand so many bars?
Nothing happened as far as tourism is concerned during the AINRC-BJP regime and the beaches, including the diamond, blue and marina beaches, were developed during the Congress party regime.
“This is a bogus, non-performing anti-people government. People are deceived by this government by freebies,” he alleged.
