Karaikal (Puducherry) [India], February 14 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday accused the former Puducherry government led by Congress' V Narayanasamy of turning the Union Territory into an "ATM for the Gandhi family."
He alleged that the administration sold PG and diploma seats, including those reserved for SC and ST candidates, to wealthy individuals.
Addressing a public meeting in Karaikal in Puducherry, Shah said, "Narayanasamy's government had turned Puducherry into an ATM for the Gandhi family... They openly auctioned PG and diploma seats and even sold the reserved seats for SC and ST to wealthy individuals for the sake of money... Transport mafias were given free rein to trouble the public."
Shah said that the five years of Congress rule in Puducherry were marked by corruption and chaos, which the BJP has worked to eliminate.
He added that the focus now is on transforming Puducherry into a developed Union Territory over the next five years.
"For five years, the Congress government created an environment of corruption and chaos here. In five years, we eliminated corruption and transformed chaos into order, and now it is time to transform Puducherry into a developed Puducherry in the next five years... Earlier, the decisions regarding Puducherry were taken by the Gandhi family in Delhi; the decisions regarding Puducherry are being taken by Puducherry itself," he said.
He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked to make India prosperous and secure, and that the people of Puducherry have expressed their trust in the NDA, BJP, and leader N Rangaswamy.
He added that while the BJP alliance received 44 per cent of the votes in the 2021 Assembly elections, it is aiming for 60 per cent in the upcoming polls.
"PM Modi has worked to make India prosperous as well as secure. The people of Puducherry have expressed their trust in NDA, BJP, and our leader Rangaswamy and PM Modi. In the 2021 Assembly elections, the people of Puducherry voted with 44% votes... But this time the alliance of BJP, AINRC, and AIADMK is aiming to win the seats with 60% of the votes," he said.