Speaker R. Selvam on Wednesday said Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief and MP V. Vaithilingam was trying to spread false information regarding the upcoming trip by Puducherry MLAs to Goa.
Addressing a press conference at his chamber, Mr Selvam said the purpose of the trip by the legislators on Thursday, August 31, 2022, was to visit the Legislative Assembly of Goa.
Mr. Vaithilingam, in a statement on Tuesday, August 29, 2023, had accused the Speaker of organising the trip to study the functioning of casinos under the guise of visiting the Legislative Assembly there.
“The proposal to set up casinos in Puducherry was mooted by the previous Congress government when Mr. Vaithilingam was the Speaker. Chief Minister N. Rangasamy has categorically ruled out the opening up of Puducherry to gambling centres. Now, 22 legislators are planning to visit Goa to see the construction of the Assembly there before we start construction of a new Assembly cum Administrative Complex here. The PCC chief is merely trying to spread false information,” he said.
Pointing to the participation of two Congress legislators in the trip to Goa, the Speaker said the PCC chief should clarify whether his party MLAs were not under the control of the Congress leadership. The Congress MLAs are also part of the visit to study the Goa Assembly, he said.
On the cost escalation of the new Assembly complex project proposed by the All India N R Congress-led NDA government, the Speaker said when Mr. Vaithilingam, during his tenure as the Chief Minister in 2009, had proposed to construct a new Assembly building at a cost of ₹236 crore, this proposal was rejected by the then UPA government at Centre.
The Congress government’s proposal was to have an Assembly complex alone, but the current government’s plan was to have an Assembly cum Administrative complex. A consultancy selected through a tendering process had prepared the estimate for the new complex, he said.
The complex would have two blocks, one a five-storey and another six-storey block, and cost around ₹530 crore. The premises would be able to accommodate around 1,000 government staff. The entire project would be funded by the Union government, he said.
“The NDA government is taking all measures to realise the vision of the Prime Minister to make Puducherry a BEST (Business, Education, Spiritual and Tourism) hub. All poll promises are being implemented in a step-by-step manner. The Congress is trying to divert attention [from these facts],” he said.
