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New Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
AICC demands white paper on BJP's poll promises in Puducherry
PUDUCHERRY: All India Congress Committee (AICC) spokesperson and Puducherry in-charge Dolly Sharma on Friday came down heavily on the BJP-AINRC coalition government, demanding a white paper on the status of promises made in the BJP's 2021 election manifesto. Addressing reporters at the Congress party office here, Sharma described the BJP-AINRC alliance as a 'factory of fake promises' and accused the government of operating as a 'betrayal machine' rather than one focused on public welfare. 'What have you promised, and what have you delivered?' she asked, challenging the administration to account for its performance over the past four years. She alleged that the government was functioning under the remote control of the Centre, sidelining the voices and concerns of Puducherry's residents. 'There is no government here—only deception and betrayal. Corruption is widespread across departments, and even temple lands are reportedly being encroached upon, with some BJP leaders allegedly involved,' Sharma charged. Calling for an immediate audit of central funds sanctioned under schemes such as Smart City and PMAY (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana), she questioned whether there had been any tangible benefits for the public. 'Roads remain in poor condition, and drainage systems have seen no major improvement. Only contractors with proximity to BJP leaders seem to have gained,' she said, dubbing the Smart City initiative a 'smart scam'.
The Hindu
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
DMK convenor slams proposed tests to promote school students
The Leader of Opposition and DMK convenor R Siva has roundly condemned the reported move of the government to implement tests for promotion for school students in the third, fifth and eighth classes. In a statement, Mr. Siva said the School Education Department circular to introduce the system would hit children from economically weaker segments the worst, pave the way for a rise in dropouts among school children, and potentially push several of them into child labour. Pointing out that any system that aggravated inequities in educational opportunities was a backward step, Mr. Siva accused the BJP-AINRC government of yielding to the diktat from the Centre in pushing ahead with all aspects of the National Education Policy (NEP) in Puducherry without considering the regional aspirations or welfare of the student community. 'Pandering to the Centre's education agenda' would overturn the balanced bi-lingual policy that had well served the interests of all stakeholders over the decades, he said. The DMK leader claimed that following the introduction of CBSE across government schools the previous year, a very high percentage of students in classes 9 and 11 had failed, largely due to ill-trained teachers who were unfamiliar with the English medium. Taking a dig at Mr. Rangasamy, who has often cited the inspiration of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Kamaraj, Mr. Siva sought to know if such a policy that risked pushing underprivileged children to semi literacy was in line with the leader's pro-poor and welfarist legacy. Pointing to Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister MK Stalin's resolute opposition to the NEP, Mr. Siva urged the government led by Mr. Rangasamy to reconsider the introduction of pass tests, and warned of a mass agitation led by the DMK if the policy was not abandoned.
