Question

Why did V. Subbayya organize the people of Puducherry?

Answer 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.

The dispersed regions including Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam and also Chandranagar in West Bengal were ruled by the French. The French Government was unwilling to surrender these regions.

People at Puducherry got united under the leadership of V. Subbayya, a communist politician and a trade unionist. Taking serious note of the happenings in Puducherry, the Government of India strongly demanded that the French government return the Indian regions held by them.

In June 1948, a bilateral agreement was signed between both governments. Thus, it became possible to resolve the Puducherry issue by way of negotiations, public movements and governmental actions.

In 1949-50, after a positive public poll, Chandrnagar was merged in the Indian Republic.

Later, on 13th October 1954 by a bilateral agreement between the Indian government and French government, the minutes of the merger process was drafted. The vote in the Legislative Assembly and in the Municipal Corporation was in the support of accession.

On 1st November 1954, all French colonies in India have merged with India. In 1962, the French Parliament approved the bilateral agreement and in 1963 Puducherry was declared to be a ‘Union Territory’.