BJP's John Kumar sworn-in as Puducherry Minister; Opposition criticises move
Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr. Kumar during a function held at Raj Nivas. Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, Speaker R. Selvam, Home Minister A. Namassivayam, Minister for Public Works K. Lakshminarayanan, Deputy Speaker P. Rajavelu, legislators belonging to AINRC and BJP were present.
Originally a Congressman, Mr. Kumar, who had switched sides a few years ago, was inducted into the Cabinet after A.K. Sai J. Saravanan Kumar resigned following a prior understanding in the BJP at the time of government formation in 2021 to share the Cabinet berth among two of its legislators during government's tenure.
Boycott
Principal Opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Congress boycotted the swearing-in ceremony due to the controversy surrounding the appointment of Mr. Kumar as a Minister. The Opposition had criticised the government for inducting Mr. Kumar as his name had surfaced in Kamatchi Amman Temple land grabbing case.
Swearing-in of nominated MLAs
Earlier, Speaker R. Selvam inducted three BJP members V. Selvam, E. Theeppainthan and G.N.S Rajasekaran as Members of the Legislative Assembly. The members were nominated by the Ministry of Home Affairs last week.
Protest
Activists belonging to Hindu Munnani, led by Sanil Kumar, staged a demonstration near Swadeshi Mill complex in Puducherry to oppose the induction of Mr. Kumar in the Cabinet. Talking to reporters, he said the Hindu Munnani had advised the BJP not to induct Mr. Kumar into the Cabinet as he was involved in grabbing the property of Kamatchi Amman Temple.
The CB-CID had arrested several officials in connection with the temple land grabbing case. The Madras High Court had even asked Mr. Kumar and his son to subject themselves for the investigation by the CB-CID, he said.
'There is clear evidence to prove that the temple land was grabbed by a group. The BJP did not consider the demand by us not to give him Ministerial berth. When the case is under investigation now, the induction of Mr. Kumar will prove detrimental to the cause taken up by devotees. People will show their anger against those who have grabbed temple land in the next Assembly polls,' he said.
Cadre belonging to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) also held a separate protest in the town against AINRC-BJP government for inducting Mr. Kumar and swearing-in of three nominated MLAs. Party secretary S. Ramachandran said a person who was involved in usurping the property of a temple was inducted into the Ministry. Also, there was no need to appoint three nominated legislators as the tenure of the government was coming to end in a few months. 'It is a complete waste of public money,' Mr. Ramachandran said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
42 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Chhattisgarh deports 30 undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants
RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh on Tuesday deported 30 Bangladeshi nationals following an ongoing verification exercise in the state, with the individuals being sent back to their homeland. The undocumented Bangladeshi migrants were taken by flight to Guwahati, where they will be handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF), a police officer said. After initiating the necessary action and completing the process of deportation, all illegal immigrants will be sent across the border into the neighbouring country. The thirty immigrants found staying 'without valid documents' were traced from the districts of Raipur, Durg, Rajnandgaon and Raigarh. They were apprehended following intelligence inputs and some complaints received from local inhabitants about the foreigners staying illegally. According to a senior intelligence officer, some Bangladeshis had even procured Indian passports in Chhattisgarh, travelled to their country, and returned to the state. On Tuesday, the issue of Bangladeshi and Rohingya undocumented immigrants was raised by senior BJP MLA Ajay Chandrakar in the House, claiming that their strength is consistently on the rise in different districts of the state. Chandrakar claimed that illegal immigrants are accessing the benefits of government schemes after they secured documents illegally on the basis of 'false documentation' and the official machinery failing to enforce stringent regulations.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Deputy CM Bhatti gets a ₹25 crore defamation notice from BJP president Ramchander Rao
Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao has slammed a ₹25 crore defamation notice on Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and sought an unconditional public apology for his 'illegal' and 'unlawful' acts of making false imputations against him with regard to the suicide of University of Hyderabad (UoH) research scholar Rohith Vemula causing him 'serious agony' and 'Irreversible' damage. Mr. Vikramarka has been given three days to apologise or criminal action will be taken claiming damages of ₹25 crore, said the legal notice sent on Tuesday. The notice sent through Mr. Ramchander Rao's advocate M. Vijayakanth and associates, mentions that the Deputy CM at a press conference held in New Delhi at the AICC headquarters has alleged that Mr. Rao was one of the persons responsible for instigating the suicide of the research scholar. The notice stated that the BJP leader was 'absolved' of any involvement in the final report filed by the police in the Court of Special Sessions Judge for Trial of Cases under the SC/ST Act, Ranga Reddy district 'due to lack of evidence'. The police, after examining 59 witnesses and gathering crucial evidence, has held that Mr. Ramchander Rao has not abetted directly or indirectly in the tragic suicide. Yet, Mr. Vikramarka had made 'false statements' which are 'defamatory in nature' with a 'preconceived motive to tarnish the fame and reputation' of the BJP leader, said the notice. Condemning the Deputy CM's statements, the notice said it has caused 'irreversible' damage to the Telangana BJP president's reputation. The notice has cautioned Mr. Vikramarka against making any more such 'false, malicious and defamatory remarks' or further criminal proceedings will be have to be initiated.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Traffic diversion for CM rally today
Kolkata: The Kolkata Police has made extensive arrangements for the Trinamool Congress protest rally that will be led by chief minister Mamata Banerjee and attended by the top leadership, including Trinamool general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, on Wednesday. It has been organised to protest the illegal detention of Bengali-speaking migrant workers across BJP-ruled states, claimed Trinamool. While the entire route — College Street, Nirmal Chandra Street, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, SN Banerjee Road and Dorina Crossing — will have security cover, traffic on these roads will be "diverted on a need basis". Even as the main rally will begin around 1 pm, Trinamool workers may start reaching College Street as early as 11 am. Cops said all vehicles on this road will be diverted via CR Avenue or APC Road. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata "Once the rally begins, we will be shutting traffic on the route and the periphery. This route is best avoided from noon till early evening. The tertiary roads will be affected too, and it will not be till 4 pm that we can normalise traffic completely around Esplanade. However, we will try to keep Lenin Sarani open. There will be a sizeable deployment on APC route to ensure smoother traffic," said an officer at Lalbazar. Police commissioner Manoj Verma and senior officers took stock of security in the area on Tuesday. "There will be deployment on rooftops, and additional CCTVs will be set up," said an officer, adding senior officers will man the control room. "We are treating this as a dress rehearsal for the Shahid Diwas rally on July 21," stated a senior officer.
