‘A liar was made CM’: Amit Shah targets Narayanasamy, Cong in Puducherry

The Union home minister also joined PM Narendra Modi and several central leaders in taking a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his comments on fisheries ministry.

Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday addressed a public rally in Puducherry. Speaking at the rally in the town of Karaikal, Shah targeted the Congress and, in particular, its leader V Narayanasamy, whose government in the poll-bound Union territory collapsed on February 22.

Union home minister Amit Shah in Karaikal, Puducherry (ANI)

“This is the sacred soil of Puducherry. Friends, before coming here, I was apprised by BJP workers about the situation on the ground. I can tell you that Puducherry will soon have a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government,” Shah said. “The Congress is accusing the BJP of being behind its government’s collapse in Puducherry. This is what happens when you make a liar like Narayanasamy chief minister. He provided false Tamil translation to Rahul Gandhi,” he added.

Last week, a fisherwoman, speaking in Tamil, complained to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi about Narayanasamy not helping people during Cyclone Nivar. Translating in English, Narayanasamy said that the woman was saying that he (Narayanasamy) provided relief to people during the Cyclone.

If there was an award for speaking falsehoods, it should be given to Narayansamy, Shah remarked, adding that the now-former Puducherry CM was not interested in serving the people but in serving the Gandhi family. “There’s no place for merit in Congress. I’d like to remind you that the Congress contested elections under Namassivayam but when it came to appointing the chief minister, Narayanasamy was elected on the basis of who can serve the Gandhi family more,” the BJP leader said, also accusing the Congress leader of spreading corruption in Puducherry.

A Namassivayam had resigned from the Congress in January after being suspended for ‘anti-party’ activities, and joined the BJP.

“Puducherry’s unemployment rate is the highest in the country, 75% of youths here don’t have jobs. You vote for the BJP, and we will reduce the unemployment rate to less than 40%,” Shah promised, further asking Narayanasamy where were the IT and electronic parks promised by his government.

Talking about Gandhi’s comment on fisheries ministry, the home minister wondered whether the former Congress president was on a vacation all this while, because, he said, a fisheries ministry had already been established by PM Modi in Delhi in 2019.

“A four-term MP doesn’t know that there's been a fisheries ministry since the last two years. Please tell me, can such a person and his party serve the people of Puducherry?” Shah asked.

Every poor in Puducherry will get a tap connection in their house by 2022, the 75th year of India’s independence, if the NDA is elected to power here, he further announced. The former BJP president also reiterated PM Modi’s aim to make Puducherry ‘BEST: business hub, education hub, spiritual hub and tourism hub.’

“I want to apologise for not being able to speak the great Tamil language,” Shah said, adding that in today’s Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi said that since his days as Gujarat CM, he has wanted to learn Tamil and speak to Tamil brothers in their native language.

Puducherry will witness single-phase elections on April 2, with counting of votes and result declaration scheduled for May 2. The legislative assembly has 33 seats of which 30 are elected directly by voters, while three members are nominated by the central government.