Puducherry Congress chief challenges Speaker to substantiate allegations of Assembly land misuse

PCC chief V. Vaithilingam challenges Speaker R. Selvam to prove charge of returning private land acquired for Assembly complex. Former CM V. Narayanasamy criticizes govt. for delays in 10% reservation for govt. school students in medical admission, welfare schemes remaining only on paper. Govt. accused of indulging in publicity and corruption, not caring for public welfare.

Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief and Member of Parliament V. Vaithilingam, has challenged Speaker R. Selvam to bring out evidence to substantiate a charge levelled against him, on returning a plot of private land, acquired for the construction of a new Assembly complex at Thattanchavady, to the same owner.

Addressing a press conference along with former Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy at the PCC office on Thursday, he said the notification under section 4 (1) A for acquiring the land was issued in 2012-13 when the present Chief Minister N. Rangasamy was heading the AINRC government. The Congress government came to power only in 2016, he said.

Mr. Selvam had accused the PCC chief of returning the acquired land to the same owner when Mr. Vaithilingam was Speaker during the previous Congress government.

“I have nothing to do with acquisition of the land or returning it. There are no remarks made by me in the file pertaining to the land acquisition. I challenge him to show the file documents. The entire proceedings for land acquisition were started when Mr. Rangasamy was heading the AINRC government previously. The Speaker should either prove his charges or apologise for making the remark,” Mr. Vaithilingam said.

Asked what he intended to do if the Speaker failed to prove the charges, the PCC chief said “I will give Mr. Selvam one month’s time. I will state the future course of action after a month,” he said.

Further, attacking the Speaker and the AINRC-led NDA government, the PCC chief said the government owed an explanation about the acquisition of land near Kannagi school in Villianur.

“The government should explain the purpose of land acquisition and who the beneficiaries are. The government also owes an explanation on the involvement of political leaders from Puducherry in cheating depositors by the now defunct, Tamil Nadu based Aarudhra Gold Trading Private Limited. Several prominent political leaders from here are involved in the chit fund scam,” he said.