Puducherry Liberation Day celebrations to be held in Kizhoor: Ramadass

Kizhoor Village. Archive | Photo credit: SS Kumar

Former Member of Parliament and President of Puducherry Maanila Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam M. Ramadass requested the government to hold Puducherry’s Independence Day celebrations in Kizhoor village to recognize the importance of the place in liberating the Union Territory from French control.

In a statement, Ramadass said that Puducherry was freed from French control on November 1, 1954. The merger of Puducherry with the Indian Union came after a series of consultations between the governments of France and India. Finally, the French decided to resolve the merger issue after consulting the then representatives of the people of Puducherry, he said.

A meeting of elected members of the Representative Assembly and Municipal Councils under the leadership of Balasubramanian, chairman of the Representative Assembly, was held in the village of Kizhoor on October 18, 1954. In the referendum held at the meeting, an overwhelming majority of 170 out of 178 Members present voted in a secret ballot in favor of merging French territories with India. The meeting later came to be known as the Kizhoor Congress, said the economist-turned-politician.

“As a mark of gratitude to this historic village and exemplification of genuine fervor for freedom, Puducherry Independence Day should be celebrated in a befitting manner only in Kizhoor village. The Chief Minister should hoist the national flag at the Kizhoor memorial instead of organizing celebrations on Beach Road. People from all the villages of Kizhoor and neighboring villages were able to participate in the event with enthusiasm and passion. It will serve as an occasion for people to understand the history of Puducherry,” he said.