Question

Answer the following question in detail with the help of the given points:

Write in detail about the merger of French colonies:

1. Puducherry (Pondicherry)
2. Chandranagar

Answer 1

1. Puducherry (Pondicherry):
   1. When India got its independence, Puducherry was still a French colony.
   2. There prevailed a general notion among Indians that departure of the British from India would send a signal the Portuguese and the French to leave India on their own. However, it was not to be so.
   3. 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.
   4. Taking a serious note of the happenings in Puducherry, the Government of India strongly demanded that the French government return the Indian regions held by them.
   5. In June 1948, a bilateral agreement was signed between both the governments. Thus, it became possible to resolve the Puducherry issue by way of negotiations, public movements and governmental actions.
2. Chandranagar:
   1. In 1949-50, after a positive public poll, Chandrnagar was merged in the Indian Republic.
   2. Later, on 13^th October 1954 by a bilateral agreement between the Indian government and French government, the minutes of the merger process were drafted.