Puducherry Chief Minister N. Rangasamy comes out of the Assembly hall on the final day of the Budget session in Puducherry on Wednesday, August 14, 2024 | Photo Credit: S.S. Kumar
The Legislative Assembly of Puducherry on Wednesday (August 14, 2024) adopted a unanimous government resolution requesting the Union government to accord Statehood to the Union Territory (UT).
On the final day of the Budget session of the Assembly, three Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) members, R. Siva, A.M.H. Nazeem, R. Senthil Kumar, and Independent legislator Nehru (alias Kuppusamy) moved private member resolutions demanding Statehood for Puducherry.
Chief Minister N. Rangasamy urged Speaker R. Selvam to consider their demand as the collective will of the Assembly. The Assembly then converted the private member resolutions to a government resolution and passed the motion unanimously.
In a short address, the Chief Minister said the Centre must consider the Assembly’s demand as members, cutting across party lines, have supported the resolution seeking Statehood. He assured the Assembly that he would take up the Statehood issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Opposition leader and DMK convenor R. Siva said several resolutions were adopted in the Assembly demanding Statehood in the past. Successive Union governments have failed to address this demand, he added.
“The previous Congress government at Centre and the incumbent BJP government have failed to concede to our demand. The elected government in Puducherry needs full authority to take up development and welfare work,” he said.
When Congress legislator M. Vaithianathan tried to intervene, Mr. Selvam said there was no need to bring politics into the matter. The Speaker went on to add that the financial problems of Puducherry began with the opening of a separate account for the UT. The then Congress government at the Centre had put pressure on the UT to open a separate account in 2006, he said.
“Mr Rangasamy was the Chief Minister at the time. The then Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Union Minister V. Narayanasamy threatened to block assistance if the separate account was not opened. They even tried to make the government non-functional,” Mr. Selvam said.
The Speaker said the Assembly has, so far, adopted 15 resolutions demanding Statehood. Wednesday’s resolution was the second such resolution after the All India N.R. Congress-BJP combine came to power in Puducherry in 2021. In response to the demand for Statehood, the Centre informed Parliament last year that the status of Puducherry as a UT would remain for now.
After the government resolution was passed, the Speaker adjourned the Assembly sine die. Later in the day, the Chief Minister, Speaker, Ministers, and legislators called on Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan to extend birthday greetings to him.
