Narayanasamy lashes out at Arjun Singh

"What Arjun Singh had said was unacceptable and it was not also proper for him to make the criticism without expressing his views in the CWC," Narayanasamy told reporters at his residence.

Singh was not only a Central minister but also a senior member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). He had every opportunity to speak out at the party fora, Narayanasamy said.

AICC President Sonia Gandhi was discussing all issues relating to the party and also of the nation as a whole in the CWC following the system adopted by her predecessors, he said.

Arjun Singh had recently contended that the decision making in the Congress had fallen into disarray. On statehood for the Union Territory, Narayanasamy said instead of seeking full statehood, the Puducherry government should urge the Centre to grant statehood with special category status.

Once special category status was available the Central grant would be around 90 per cent while only 10 per cent of the total budgetary requirements would have to be mobilised locally, he said.

Narayanasamy said there should be a united approach on the matter and statehood with special category status was  more favourable than any other constitutional status for Puducherry. The Puducherry assembly had adopted on Wednesday, a resolution seeking full statehood status for the Union Territory.