Chief Minister N. Rangasamy said that full-fledged arrangements would be made by the territorial administration to celebrate November 1 as Liberation Day since it is a historic date in the freedom movement of Puducherry.
Speaking at a function organised by the Puducherry French Indians Tamil Rights Forum here, Mr. Rangasamy said government had decided to observe November 1 every year from this year as a public holiday and to also observe the day as a Liberation Day of Puducherry.
The decision was taken in keeping with the recommendations of a high power committee constituted by the government. The committee had gone into the historical records relating to liberation movement of Puducherry and made the recommendation, which had since been implemented.
Mr. Rangasamy said though Puducherry attained liberation on November 1, 1954 from the clutches of the French regime, the elected government here remained at the mercy of the Central government without being able to take decisions or implement them. Want of powers in the present constitutional status of Union Territory was a blockade for the elected government to fulfil its plans and programmes.
“We, therefore, demand that Statehood be granted without delay so that the expectations of the people can be fulfilled expeditiously and development plans could also be evolved,” he said.
