The reverses Congress had in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh left tremors being felt in far away Union Territory of Puducherry.Congress party known for its group-ism and infighting is witnessing active mobilisation within the party to try to dislodge Chief Minister"s in chair, more particularly in Puducherry.

The Puducherry Assembly is meeting on January 3 rd of 2008. Five Ministers in the Cabinet of N.Rangasamy have jointly signed a letter urging the Chief Minister to place the agenda of the assembly before the cabinet, and have cautioned that usual method of bypassing the cabinet wont work this time.

Social Welfare Minister M.Kandasamy had been charging the Chief Minister openly for diverting the funds earmarked by the Union Government under the Special Component Plan for SC and ST. Almost all dalit parties have staged demonstrations against the Chief Minister for this diversion of funds bypassing the Ministers in the cabinet. Till now only one Minister was raising his voice. But every Minister realised funds of their departments are diverted to nurse the Chief Minister"s constituency. Chief Minister"s dream project, a Medical college is coming up swallowing crores and crores of moneys meant for other departments under other ministers.

The PMK Parliamentary Party leader Professor M.Ramdass, an economist of high repute had openly in the media accused the Chief Minister for running the worst ever administration driving his government to bankruptcy.There is no money to meet the salaries of government staff. Till today nearly 6000 government employees have applied for loans against GPF, and the Government has no money to meet their demands.

The Karaikal Union Territory Struggle Group launched in 2005 campaigned in Karaikal region that the money allocation in budgets are not in proportion with the population of Karaikal region, and whatever is due to Karaikal region is being hijacked to Puducherry main enclave. This campaign led to Congress loosing all the 4 seats it had in the 6 seats of Karaikal region in the previous assembly. During the last poll people of Karaikal bought the argument that Chief Minister nurses only his constituency and shows step motherly treatment to Karaikal. Having lost all sitting MLA"s from Karaikal, the Congress High Command could have read the writing on the wall, But they reinstated N.Rangasamy, who starting flouting all rules, regulations, administrative checks and balances.All employment chances side tracking employment exchange went to the youth of his constituency.Even court orders were ignored. His dream project, Medical College will take a year for completion but it is alleged he had posted doctors and all staff, and paying them without work since the building is not ready.

Driven to the corner by a dictatorial Chief Minister who grabs al development to nurse his constituency and diverts funds under different heads and different departments to pursue his own agenda of making his constituency an impregnable fortress.

So all in his cabinet decided ultimately to bell the cat and given a letter urging the Medical College Issue, bankruptcy issue and agenda for assembly should be placed before cabinet. Chief Minister who survives all criticisms by not replying to any charge against him, even if it is hurled on his face, had already successfully engaged the services of a CPI,AIADMK and 2 DMK legislators including the Opposition Leader to counter the criticisms of his own cabinet colleagues. His calculation is whatever happens in the cabinet will be within 4 walls, so to take revenge on his own cabinet ministers, he will pretend to be a saint and let loose his secret weapons, namely opposition members to fire the salvo against his cabinet colleagues.

This trick usually pays. But this time the Cabinet Ministers have sent fax to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi urging her to order the Chief Minister to convene the Cabinet meeting at Puducherry House at Chanakyapuri in Delhi on 2 nd January, and depute an observer. The Chief Minister"s camp says it is against constitution to allow observers within cabinet meeting.

Unless the Chief Minister is replaced, Congress can be assured of winning only one seat, that too Chief Minister"s constituency, even if all seats are lost in the 30 member assembly. Congress needs such consolation victory towards which the Congress in Puducherry is racing ahead.

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