Rangasamy expresses happiness on selection of Murmu as NDA Presidential candidate
The Hindu
‘Her visit to Puducherry shows the importance that PM has attached to the U.T.’
Chief Minister N. Rangasamy on Saturday expressed happiness on the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA)‘ selection of Droupadi Murmu as the Presidential candidate.
“We should be thankful to the Prime Minister for selecting a woman hailing from the Scheduled Tribe community as the Presidential nominee. She comes with a wide experience as she has served as a Minister and Governor. She is the right candidate,” he said, addressing an NDA meeting attended by Ms. Murmu, at a private hotel.
The Chief Minister said Ms. Murmu’s visit to Puducherry as part of her campaign showed the importance that the Prime Minister has attached to Puducherry, sources who attended the closed door meeting told The Hindu.
“Initially, we were planning to go to Chennai when Ms. Murmu visited Tamil Nadu as part of her campaign. But the Prime Minister suggested a visit by the candidate to Puducherry. Our electoral college is very less. Even then, the candidate took the time to visit us. It shows the importance the Prime Minister attaches for the U.T.,” Mr. Rangasamy said.
Ms. Murmu, in her address, quoted a few lines from one of Bharathiar’s poems, which reflects on education of women and importance of giving law making power to women. “It has now come true,” she said.
The meeting was attended by all 16 NDA legislators (10 from All India N.R. Congress and six from the BJP) and four Independents (out of six) in the Assembly. The Independents, who were present at the meeting, were M. Sivasankar, P. Angalane, Gollapalli Srinivas Ashok (all three attached to the BJP) and Prakash Kumar (attached to AINRC).
Sources in AINRC said the two other Independents P.R. Siva and Nehru, alias Kuppusamy, attached to AINRC, had agreed to vote for the NDA candidate in the Presidential election. BJP president V. Saminathan chaired the NDA meeting.