The Puducherry Syndrome has spread to neighbouring Tamil Nadu causing resentment and anguish among the major Opposition parties in the State. The newly appointed Governor Banwarilal Purohit is creating sensation all over the State with his visit to Coimbatore since Tuesday.
On Tuesday, the Governor summoned all senior district officials for a two-hour meeting at Coimbatore and interacted with them on various development projects in the region. He was all praise for the officials and complimented them for the good work. The Governor assured them of all possible help from his side in the event of them coming across any kind of obstacles.
The Opposition DMK was the first to slam the Governor for his “unconstitutional action” in summoning the district officials and questioning them about the work they were doing. “His action is against the autonomy of the State. The Governor should give up making such visits. These visits are not going to help the Central-State ties,” MK Stalin, leader of the Opposition and working president of the DMK said in a statement.
Kiran Bedi, the lG of Puducherry is always in the news for her pro-active actions. Bedi has become a household name in the Union Territory because of her frequent inspection tours and the weekend interactions with the general public to know about their pressing needs. This has led to a situation where CM V Narayanasamy writing regular complaints to the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister against the “high handed behaviour” of the lieutenant-Governor.
Stalin said in his statement that the Tamil Nadu Governor does not enjoy the limited powers that the l-G of Puducherry has.
Purohit, accompanied by SP Velumani, Minister for Municipal Administration, visited a solid waste management plat set up at a residential colony in Coimbatore on Wednesday morning. Impressed by the performance of the plant, the Governor held discussions with the residents and the people manning it.
“Till now I was under the impression that Maharashtra was better in cleanliness, but now I have changed my mind as Tamil Nadu is far better,” he said the officials. The Governor also joined the Swachchh Bharat initiative by sweeping the bus bays in the Gandhipuram bus station.
Narayanasamy, who is already involved in a running battle with Bedi, said at Puducherry that the Governor’s Disease is getting spread to Tamil Nadu as well and this does not augur well for the smooth ties between the Centre and the States.
While all Opposition parties were united in their criticism, the ruling AIADMK faction and their would be allies the BJP sounded optimistic about Purohit’s action. Velumani, who accompanied the Governor, told reporters that Purohit had assured the officials of all help in getting aid from the Centre for various projects.
“This is not proper. Had Jayalalithaa been alive, the Governor would not have undertaken such a gimmick,” said TTV Dinakaran, the ousted leader of the AIADMK. A veteran scribe described the Governor's act as buffoonery.