Karaikal Union Territory Struggle Group has reiterated its demand for Union Territory status for Karaikal if Puducherry is granted Statehood. The demand follows media reports that a Bill is proposed to be introduced in the winter session for a full-fledged Statehood for Puducherry.
According to the KUTSG, their demand was borne out of “historical necessity” posed by regional imbalances. “Continued neglect and step-motherly treatment” had sowed the seeds for the demand for UT status for Karaikal, say the representatives of KUTSG.
In a communication to Choudhury Mohan Jatua, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, KUTSG has sought to “delink” Karaikal from the demand for Statehood status for Puducherry and has demanded for UT status to Karaikal. The communiqué has pointed to the precedent set in the case of Goa, Daman and Diu. The latter, which was part of the UT of Goa then, remained a UT, when Goa was conferred Statehood in 1987.
The communiqué stated that the UT Act envisaged UTs as “security sanctuaries and spring boards” for security forces in times of internal rebellion. With increase in the number of states and dwindling UTs, a UT status for Karaikal administered by the President of India would see fruition of the constitutional purpose, it said.
The KUTSG has stated that Puducherry was never a contiguous area during the French rule. It was a patchwork of enclaves that were miles apart, yet knit together.
Yanam and Mahe
Of the enclaves, Yanam appears to be opposed to Statehood for Puducherry. According to Nandhi Varman, honorary President, KUTSG, Malladi Krishna Rao, Yanam’s sole legislator in the Puducherry Cabinet and Revenue Minister, had reportedly taken out a signature campaign and submitted a memorandum to the French government recently, stating that the Statehood to Puducherry was in violation of the Indo-French treaty of cession and ratification. “This is unconstitutional for a minister under oath and allegiance to Indian Constitution to approach a foreign state.” Whatever clause that governed accession of the erstwhile French colonies to the Indian Union ended then and we are governed by the Indian Constitution, Mr. Nandhi Varman told The Hindu . Ultimately, it was for the people of Yanam to decide through a referendum as to their position vis-à-vis Puducherry, he said.
As for Mahe, with an area of 9 sq km, a Malayali population and proximity to Lakshadweep, they could opt to merge with Lakshadweep, said Mr. Nandhi Varman. However, the KUTSG was not competent to speak for them and referendum was an option, he maintained.
Under the 14th Amendment, Pondicherry became a UT comprising four coastal regions - Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam. While Puducherry and Karaikal are situated in the East Coast in Tamil Nadu, Mahe in on the West Coast in Kerala and Yanam is in Andhra Pradesh. Chandranagore in Bengal remained an enclave of the French until 1950, when it was transferred to India. In 1954, it was merged with the State of West Bengal.
