Statehood for Puducherry: Rahul Gandhi’s Call

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has assured that Puducherry will be granted statehood if his party comes to power in the upcoming Assembly elections. He criticized the BJP, alleging that it is bypassing local leaders in Puducherry and governing the region through remote control. He further assured that local body elections would be conducted within six months if Congress forms the government. Rahul Gandhi participated in an election campaign rally held today in Lawspet.

He also stated that if the Congress forms the government, unemployed youth in Puducherry would receive monthly financial assistance of ₹2,000. In addition, he promised the creation of 30,000 new jobs across both the public and private sectors, along with free bus travel for women. He further pledged to relax the upper age limit for government jobs to 40 years and announced a health insurance cover of ₹20 lakh for every family. Rahul Gandhi noted that industrial and textile sectors in Puducherry have declined significantly, with around 100 factories shutting down. He also alleged that a counterfeit drug manufacturing racket is operating in Pondicherry, with fake medicines being produced, and criticized the government for failing to take action.