DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday said that the INDIA bloc, if voted to power after Lok Sabha polls, will provide statehood to Puducherry. Addressing an election rally here seeking support for Congress candidate and present MP V Vaithilingam, he said the DMK and Congress are firm that Puducherry should be made a full-fledged state.
Signalling an organisational reshuffle ahead of the 2024 elections, the Congress on Friday appointed Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil as the new Gujarat PCC president.
V Vaithilingam
PUDUCHERRY: Congress Lok Sabha member V Vaithilingam has urged Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman to allow deferment of instalments of loans availed by people employed in micro, small, medium industries and also self-employed people as they have lost their income due to lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
In a letter, the MP urged the minister to allow extension of the moratorium for payment of interest for a six-month period for the people who availed loans.
Vaithilingam also requested her to defer the payment of advance tax (income tax paid in advance for the income earned in a particular financial year) from the first quarter to the second quarter of the fiscal year 2021-22 due to this unprecedented situation.
The All India NR Congress (AINR Congress) headed by former Puducherry Chief Minister N. Rangaswamy has entered into a seat-sharing agreement with the BJP and the AIADMK combine for the April 6 Assembly elections in the Union Territory. As per the agreement, AINR Congress will contest 16 seats while the BJP-AIADMK combine will contest 14 seats in the 30-member Assembly. Rangaswamy will be the Chief Minister if the combine is voted to power. It may be noted that Congress Chief Minister V. Narayanaswamy had resigned last month after several party MLAs, including senior minister A. Namasivayam and Congress working president A.K.D. Arumukham, had quit the party and joined the BJP.