Volunteers of the Codava National Council (CNC) held a ‘satyagraha’ here on Sunday demanding an “autonomous Codava land” under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
N.U. Nachappa, president, CNC, said: “Our political struggle has a history of 22 years. Our inability for political lobbying and Gandhian methods should never be considered as weaknesses.”
Among the demands of the CNC are ensuring ethno-linguistic-tribal-minority status for the Kodavas, including ‘Kodava thakk ’ (language) in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and political reservation on the lines of the Anglo Indians. “The demand for Codava Land Autonomous Region has more relevance than Telangana. Even though our claim has more weight, we do not demand a separate State. We restrict ourselves to the formation of Codava Land Autonomous Region for the Codava minority race,” a CNC release said. There are more than 26 regions seeking similar rights on the basis of language, ethnicity and cultural heritage, the release added.
