A conference of southern chief ministers is scheduled to be held on Wednesday morning at Kovalam, near Chennai, under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Invitations have been sent to the chief ministers of the southern states.
According to the report, Puducherry Lt Governor Kailashnathan and Chief Minister N. Rangasamy (N.R. Congress) were both invited. With the Lt Governor expected to attend, Rangasamy has decided to stay away from the meeting.
The invitations were issued to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay, Kerala Chief Minister Satheesan, Karnataka Chief Minister Shivakumar, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
The report says the dual invitation in Puducherry—being a Union Territory where the Lt Governor is the administrator—has sharpened tensions between the Raj Nivas and the elected government. There is also a view that the Lt Governor would be given precedence at the event, and that both would be compelled to speak on the same issues, creating embarrassment.
Meanwhile, efforts are said to be under way to persuade the Puducherry Chief Minister to reconsider his decision and participate.
