Prime Minister to visit Puducherry on March 1, says BJP president

Prime Minister Modi to visit Puducherry on March 1 for a government event, announcing key development initiatives, says BJP president.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Puducherry on March 1 for participating in a government programme, BJP president V. P. Ramalingam said here on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference, he said the Prime Minister will reach Puducherry around 11 a.m. on March 1 and attend a government event scheduled to be held at Lawspet. “The visit by the Prime Minister will be a landmark one as he will be making several announcements related to development of the Union Territory. The government is making elaborate arrangements for the event,” he added. 

The Prime Minister’s scheduled programme, he said, which follows the “successful” visit by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, last week, to Karaikal region of the Union Territory, showed the preparations in progress in the National Democratic Alliance for the upcoming Assembly polls. 

Responding to the challenge posed by former Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy to Mr. Shah for providing proof of corruption in the previous Congress government, Mr. Ramalingam said the Home Minister will not speak without evidence. He made the charges against the former Chief Minister during his visit to Karaikal with evidence, he added.  “ Moreover, Kiran Bedi who was the Lieutenant Governor when Mr. Narayanasamy was the Chief Minister insisted on Direct Benefit Transfer scheme after she received complaints about the functioning of the Congress government. She decided on DBT following lack of transparency in the functioning of the then Cabinet,” the BJP president said.

The AINRC-BJP government, Mr. Ramalingam said, would return to power as people were now aware of the benefits of having a double engine government. The welfare measures initiated in Puducherry were possible because of the support of the Union government, he said. 

“People have started comparing the present government with that of the previous administration headed by Mr. Narayanasamy. The government frequently fought with the then Lt. Governor as if Congress was in the Opposition. If they come back, the situation will be the same leading to disruption in the implementation of welfare schemes,” he added.