PUDUCHERRY: Puducherry Legislative Assembly, in its session today, adopted a unanimous resolution urging the centre to confer statehood to Puducherry UT comprising all four regions.
The private member resolution moved by Leader of Opposition R Siva, other DMK members AMH Nazeem, R Senthilkumar, Anibal Kennedy and Independent G Nehru alias Kuppusamy was adopted as a government resolution by Chief minister N Rangasamy.
Moving the resolution, Chief Minister said that everyone cutting across party lines and regions has expressed the need for statehood. It is required not only for administration but also to secure the rights of the elected government. While fulfilling the assurances, he understood the hurdles posed by the administration.
"To overcome this, statehood is necessary. The time is right to take it to the centre, as the centre is supporting Puducherry wholeheartedly," he said. He would lead a delegation of MLAs to Delhi and represent the matter to the Prime Minister and Home Minister.
"The delegation will also meet MPs supporting statehood and seek their support. We hope to secure statehood by the end of the year", said the Chief Minister.
Following this, all the members of the ruling AINRC, BJP and opposition DMK, Congress and independents supported the resolution in one voice, following which Speaker R Selvam declared it adopted unanimously.
Earlier, Home minister A Namassivayam and leader of the BJP legislative party said BJP also wanted statehood.
The MLAs of Mahe and Yanam, Ramesh Parambath and Gollapalli Srinivas Ashok wanted the statehood to be secured by including all the outlying regions as they wanted to remain with Puducherry.