Centre rejects proposal to grant statehood to Puducherry

New Delhi, July 23: The Centre has rejected a proposal to grant statehood to Puducherry, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

He said the Puducherry Legislative Assembly had passed resolutions seeking statehood for the Union Territory of Puducherry, the latest one being on July 17, 2018.

"The resolution was considered in this Ministry and it was decided to continue with the present arrangement.

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"As such, no proposal is pending with the government of India for consideration of grant of statehood to Puducherry," he said in a written reply to a question.

The MHA has in the past too pointed to the non-contiguous nature of the Union Territory whenever the Statehood demand has surfaced. The MHA had documented the opposition raised by the traders association of Yanam and Karaikal Struggle Group against granting Statehood.