Puducherry legislator Chandira Priyanga has accused a fellow Minister of torture and political harassment, while withholding the identity of the person she has named.
The All India NR Congress (AINRC) MLA released a selfie video in which she alleged that she is under surveillance, with her phone details being collected at the behest of the Minister in the Union Territory for political reasons.
She further claimed that when she approached a senior officer to lodge a complaint, he dismissed her concerns sarcastically. According to Priyanga, the officer told her that she should “transfer (her) properties and will to someone else in case anything happened” to her.
In the video, Priyanga said, “You don’t want a woman to come up on her own. If she does, you will humiliate her and make sure she leaves while fearing politics. My father didn’t teach me this kind of politics. I am making this video because you think anything that you do will go unquestioned.”
She further said, “I know you are spying on me from the time I leave my house and my phone details are being accessed by you using government sources. I know I am not in a safe place. What will happen to a common man if an MLA and a former Minister like me is being tortured like this? No matter what you do, nothing will happen to me.”
Priyanga also said that she had recently received summons over a cutout that had been placed illegally in a public area in violation of court orders, creating a public nuisance. She alleged that the Minister was responsible for the summons, which she described as an attempt to harass her. Clarifying her position, the MLA maintained that the cutout might have been installed by her party supporters without her knowledge.
In 2021, Priyanga became the first woman to be made a minister in the union territory after a gap of over 40 years. She was then handed the scheduled caste welfare, transport, and art and culture portfolios in the N Ranagsamy-led coalition cabinet. However, Priyanga resigned in 2023 citing “caste and gender discrimination”.
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