KARAIKAL UNION TERRITORY STRUGGLE GROUP PLANS TO MEET PRIME MINISTER IN DELHI 

In a press statement issued on May 12^th 2008,

 N.Nandhivarman , Honorary President of Karaikal  Union Territory Struggle Group told that a delegation of 47 people from Karaikal have decided to go to New Delhi to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President of India Thirumathi Pratiba Patil, Former Prime Ministers V.P.Singh, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, I.K.Gujral ad party leaders including Congress President Sonia Gandhi to impress upon them “ The illogical  and uneconomical arrangement of territories bundled together as union territory with no territorial contiguity. The West Pakistan and
East Pakistan which had no territorial contiguity could not remain single country. Hence we are asking for separate

Union
Territory status for Karaikal, which is separated by 160 kilometers away from the main enclave of Puducherry. During last  elections the call given by us to defeat all sitting members of the legislature for remaining silent spectators over the economic neglect of Karaikal enclave since independence. People’s verdict in defeating all the 4 sitting Congress MLA’s of the region is a pointer that Karaikal people exercised their franchise as if a referendum was held.Two DMK MLA’s scrapped through in 33 and 197 vote margin. 

Now in the recently held assembly session the Minister for Tourism Mr.Malladi Krishna Rao had opposed the demand for statehood passed 17 times in the assembly as an oft repeated ritual, fearing his constituency and enclave Yanam would stand to loose if Statehood is accorded. None of the rulers or parties who demand statehood is confident that on getting statehood they could manage their finances within the revenue they can harness. So all are adding a rider special category status, and if that is true, can these leaders clarify are they wanting to amend Constitution of India to include Puducherry too under article 370 meant as exception for
Kashmir? If not let them tell where in Constitution “special category state” finds mention. The Constitution allows room for States and

Union
Territories only; there is no provision for special category state. The special category comes when Finance Commissions are formed, there too whenever a Finance Commission is formed it will have to decide which state can be treated as special category, and this is variable with every new commission. Puducherry cannot get advance guarantee to be treated as special category, it is no where laid as law or precedent. 

Already current government by opening a Public Account with Reserve Bank of
India had reversed the earlier arrangement continuing for decades since independence of 70 percent grant and 30 percent loan component, which will become 30 percent grant and 70 percent loan. That is why Karaikal which got neglected when 70 percent grant was coming will get nothing when it is going to be mere 30 percent grant. Those who took this decision, now wanting special category status, contradict their confidence to sustain state’s finances if statehood is obtained.Whatever may be the logic behind Statehood, Karaikal wants to remain a Union Territory with territorial contiguity and manage its affairs under direct control of Home Ministry. To stress this demand we have sought appointments, which we hope will be made available once dust settles down in Karnataka. 

Separate states — Telangana in Andhra Pradesh, Vidarbha in Maharashtra and Bundelkhand in Uttar Pradesh  Bhojpur in East Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh in Bihar, Saurashtra in Gujarat, Coorg in Karnataka, Koshalanchal in western Orissa, Gorkhaland in West Bengal, Mithilanchal in north Bihar, parts of Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, and Purvanchal, Harith Pradesh, Braj Pradesh and Awadh Pradesh from various regions of Uttar Pradesh.Let Puducherry too join this long list and be dived into State of Puducherry and Union Territory of Karaikal. The ruling Congress’ move to form a second States Reorganization Commission (SRC) is welcome , told N.Nandhivarman, Honorary President of Karaikal Union Territory Struggle Group.First States Reorganization Commission, set up by the Jawaharlal Nehru Cabinet in 1954 under Justice Faizal Ali, recommended the creation of new states on “linguistic grounds'". In 2000, the BJP-led NDA government approved the creation of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The home ministry, meanwhile, has told Parliament recently that the government will take a decision on the matter of formation of new states after “taking into consideration all relevant factors". “Action by the government would depend on the felt need and general consensus," said the home ministry. Hence Karaikal Union Territory Struggle Group will present a memorandum to States Reorganization Commission too urging separate UT status for Karaikal, while we bid adieu to more power seeking Statehood protagonists of Puducherry. 

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