PUDUCHERRY: Former Lok Sabha member and president of Puducherry Maanila Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (PMMMK) M Ramadass has urged the government to take decisive action in securing statehood instead of merely passing resolutions in the Assembly without following them up with the centre.
In a statement, Ramadass emphasised that Chief Minister N Rangasamy should lead a delegation comprising all-party leaders, Members of Parliament, and expert committee members to meet the Union Home Minister and the Prime Minister with a detailed feasibility report on statehood.
He suggested that the government base its arguments on the recommendations of the Home Affairs Committee, previously led by the late Sushma Swaraj, and prepare a fresh feasibility report through an expert committee. He further urged the delegation to engage with leaders of all political parties in Parliament to justify Puducherry’s demand.
Criticising the government’s passive approach, Ramadass pointed out that despite passing the 14th and 15th resolutions in the previous years by the AINRC-BJP government, the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs had recently stated that the centre was unaware of Puducherry’s demand for statehood. He remarked that the previous 14th and 15th resolutions remained ineffective as they seem to have remained to hibernate within Puducherry itself, said Ramadass.
He called upon political leaders to uphold the dignity of the legislature by ensuring that resolutions are pursued with sincere efforts. If the government is truly committed to statehood, the Chief Minister and all legislators should personally submit the 16th resolution to the centre and pursue it with the PM and Home Minister, he asserted.
Accusing the Chief Minister of using statehood as a diversionary tactic during administrative conflicts, Ramadass questioned the lack of a feasibility report detailing the challenges of Union Territory status and the benefits of statehood. He argued that statehood should not be considered as a tool for political power but as a means to empower the people of Puducherry economically, socially, and politically.
“Statehood is necessary to free Puducherry from the limitations of being a Union Territory and to establish a full-fledged democracy,” he said, comparing it to a ‘second independence’ for the region. He cited the example of Ladakh, where people have actively mobilised for statehood and engaged in discussions with the centre, urging the Puducherry government to adopt a similar approach.
Mere resolutions would not lead to statehood and called for concrete measures, including forming a committee to oversee the issue and mobilising public support if necessary.