Puducherry govt slips into minority

Puducherry: Two more MLAs - one from the Congress and the other from its partner DMK - have resigned in Puducherry a day before a test of strength after the ruling party no longer has a majority. Four-time Congress MLA Lakshminarayanan, while putting in his papers, said he is upset over not getting "recognition" in the party.

He said he will leave the party too. DMK MLA Venkatesan, who resigned on Sunday, has not given a statement yet. With the two resignations, the Congress government's strength in the Puducherry Assembly has fallen to 12 out of a total 26.

"I wasn't made a minister even though I am a senior leader. The ruling Congress has been reduced to a minority and I can't be fully blamed for the crisis," Lakshminarayanan said, adding the regional party NR Congress and the BJP have approached him.

Sources close to him say he wasn't even made party chief when Namassivayam, the Union Territory's Congress chief, resigned recently and switched to the BJP, nor was he made the Speaker earlier. "I will make the next move after consulting my supporters," Lakshminarayanan said.

Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan called the floor test on Monday citing the Opposition's stand that the ruling party no longer has a majority. If both the government and the Opposition fall short of the numbers, Puducherry is likely to be put under President's rule just three months before the elections.

Chief Minister V Narayanasamy has accused the Opposition BJP of trying to topple his government. He alleged that it has been the "practice and design" of the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to disturb Congress governments in States like Goa, Manipur, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and now in Puducherry.