‘30% commission’: Congress accuses Puducherry of ‘widespread corruption’, questions delay in statehood

New Delhi: Congress leader Dolly Sharma on Thursday alleged “widespread corruption” in Puducherry, claiming people were forced to pay “30 per cent commission” to get work done. Sharma also questioned the delay in granting statehood to Puducherry despite the BJP being both in power at the Center and part of the RSS-led coalition government in the poll-limited union territory. “The continuing corrupt way in which the government is run in Puducherry is truly shocking. If you want any work done, you need to pay 30 per cent commission. Five years have passed and the BJP is in power at the center and in the state, but why has Puducherry not yet been granted statehood?” Sharma said. She raised concerns about unemployment, claiming that young people in Puducherry are struggling to find jobs while liquor remains easily available. She also accused the ruling coalition of failing to deliver on election promises.“Young people here can’t find jobs, but the liquor keeps flowing. People fully understand the difference between promises and actual fulfillment. Out of a hundred promises in the manifesto, they haven’t fulfilled even ninety,” she added. The Congress is forming an alliance with its existing ally DMK to contest the Puducherry assembly elections on April 9. As per the arrangement, the Congress will contest in 16 seats while the DMK is allotted the remaining 14 seats. The Legislative Assembly of Puducherry, a former French colony, has 33 members, 30 of whom are directly elected; the remaining three provincial members are nominated by the center. The Congress-DMK alliance also exists in neighboring Tamil Nadu, where DMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin has allocated 28 of the 234 constituencies to the old grand party, along with one Lok Sabha seat. Tamil Nadu will go to single-phase polls on April 23. Counting of votes will take place on May 4 in Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, along with the other three voting states – Assam, Kerala and West Bengal.