Question

Explain the following statement with reason.

Puducherry was declared as a union territory.

Answer 1

1. When India got its independence, Puducherry was still a French colony. There prevailed a general notion among Indians that the departure of the British from India would send a signal to the Portuguese and the French to leave India on their own. However, it was not to be so.
2. Puducherry, Mahe, Yanam, and Chandranagar in West Bengal were under French control.
3. People of Puducherry got united under V. Subbayya, a communist politician and leader.
4. Government noticed it as serious and strongly demanded that the French govt should return all the regions held by them.
5. In 1948, a bilateral agreement was signed by both governments. In 1949, Chandranagar was merged.
6. In 1954, all French colonies were merged in India. In 1962, the French Parliament approved the bilateral agreement and in 1963, Puducherry became the 'Union Territory' of India.