Puducherry: Union Home Minister Amit Shah Taking a dig at the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhiaccusing him of repeatedly lying about the India-US trade deal. During a two-day visit to Puducherry, he addressed a public meeting in Kaarikal, an enclave of Puducherry, 140 km south of his headquarters tamil nadu Shah dismissed the opposition’s accusations and insisted that the interests of farmers and fishermen were “100 percent protected” in the agreement. He said it was only during the last UPA government that the interests of farmers were harmed. “Rahul Gandhi’s policy is to lie, lie loudly and lie repeatedly,” he said. Shah paid tribute to the Central Reserve Police Force personnel who were martyred in the Pulwama terror attack. He said the previous Congress-led UP government did not retaliate strongly against the terror attacks, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s National Democratic Alliance government carried out Balakot air strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan. Shah praised the NDA government led by All India National Congress (AINRC) founder and chief minister N Rangasamy for curbing corruption, ensuring political stability and strengthening autonomy in Puducherry. He accused the previous Congress government led by former chief minister V Narayanasamy of turning Puducherry into an “ATM for the Gandhi family”. He said the previous government had sold UG, PG and diploma medical seats, including seats reserved for SC and ST candidates, to the rich. He added that the NDA secured 44 per cent votes in the 2021 Assembly elections and the alliance “targets 60 per cent votes in the subsequent polls and wins 24 out of 30 seats in Puducherry”. Shah later met officials of the PPP’s Puducherry unit and held a meeting with Rangasamy, election chief and state in-charge at Karaikal in the afternoon, marking the start of seat-sharing talks.
