Cong-DMK govt in Pondy topples as CM Narayanasamy loses trust vote

Puducherry: The four-year-nine-month-old Congress-DMK-led government in Puducherry toppled on Monday after Chief Minister V Narayanasamy failed to prove a majority on the floor of the territorial Assembly.

A confidence motion moved by Mr Narayanasamy was defeated as entire members in the treasury bench, including the chief minister, staged a walkout before the voting could begin. They were against the voting rights of three nominated members, presently all from the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Following the walkout, Speaker V P Sivakolunthu announced that the confidence motion was defeated and adjourned the House sine die.

Mr Narayanasamy later called on newly-appointed Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and tendered his resignation along with his Council of Ministers.

Resignation of five members of Congress and one of DMK from the Assembly, and disqualification of one Congress legislator last year, had reduced the strength of the ruling alliance to 12 in the 33-member Assembly.

Addressing the House after moving the motion, Mr Narayanasamy squarely blamed the ‘BJP’ for bringing down his government and said that what they did in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Goa is being ‘done in Puducherry’.

On the resignation of the legislators from his party, the Chief Minister said, “they should have been loyal to the organisation, but out of compulsion and threat, they resigned”. He termed the turmoil as “prostitution of democracy”.

He said the people of the UT are watching the developments and will certainly give a befitting reply in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

The term of the current Assembly expires on June 8.

It is up to the Lt Governor whether to invite the Opposition to form a government for the next three months or to impose President’s Rule in the UT. (UNI)