Puducherry Assembly adopts unanimous resolution on Statehood, 14th time in legislative history

In a significant change of stance, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday supported a private member’s resolution moved separately by the principal Opposition DMK and an Independent legislator in the Puducherry Legislative Assembly, demanding Statehood, which was later unanimously adopted as a government resolution, following a request made by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy.

In a significant change of stance, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday supported a private member’s resolution moved separately by the principal Opposition DMK and an Independent legislator in the Puducherry Legislative Assembly, demanding Statehood, later unanimously adopted as a government resolution, following a request made by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy.

This is the 14 14th time in the legislative history of the Union Territory that the government has adopted a resolution for Statehood. Friday’s resolution has urged the Central government to accord Statehood for Puducherry after members en masse spoke in favour of raising the status of Puducherry to a State that would result in vesting full powers with the elected government.

As the House met on the last day of the budget session, Speaker R. Selvam took up the resolutions tabled by Opposition leader R. Siva, his fellow DMK members A.M.H Nazeem, Anibal Kennedy, Senthil Kumar as well as Independent member G. Nehru alias Kuppusamy, seeking Statehood.

After the Speaker invited other members to express their view, the BJP, Congress and other Independents also extended full support to the government for the steps it planned to initiate for obtaining Statehood.

Expressing his happiness over the support extended by all the members, the Chief Minister said, “The House had so far passed 13 resolutions seeking Statehood. But I have not seen such unanimity in the house [before, as I’m seeing now] for the present resolution on Statehood. It is historic. The Centre is cooperative to the demands of the territorial administration and I am hopeful that we will be able to obtain Statehood this year itself.”

The CM said the government would lead a delegation of legislators to New Delhi to meet the Prime Minister, Home Minister, Union Ministers and other like minded MPs, to further press for Statehood.

The BJP, which had so far remained ambivalent on its stance on Statehood, with its nominated members taciturn on the issue during the previous Congress term, came out in full support, with its Minister A. Namassivayam, heading the crucial Home portfolio, demanding that until Statehood was achieved, there needed to be an amendment to the Rules of Business of Government of Puducherry, 1963 (as per the rules the Lt Governor is Administrator of UT), and for more devolution of financial powers to the Cabinet.