CNC demands autonomy for Kodagu

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Jun 18 2019: The Central government should provide geopolitical autonomy and self-determination rights for Kodagu, Codava National Council (CNC) president N U Nachappa urged on Tuesday.

 

“Kodavas should be considered as a scheduled tribe (St) and included in the schedule list under article 340 and 342 appended to the Constitution of India. Codava Mother tongue ‘Codava Thakk’ should be included in the eighth schedule of our Nachappa told reporters in Mangaluru on Tuesday.

He declared that the three demands were of vital importance to Kodavas for the past 29 years and felt the need to take the issue to a logical end.


He declared the state reorganisation as a draconian. Kodagu was a ‘C’ type state until 1956, he added. It was the best administered utopian model of tiniest states of Indian Republic and it became part of the state of Vishal Mysuru now Karnataka.

The merger of Codava homeland with Karnataka is one of the greatest geopolitical catastrophes of the 20th century. After the state reorganisation, the Kodavas had become second rate citizens in the country, he said.

Black day

N U Nachappa said that the CNC will observe November 1 as a black day.

The organisation will hold a march to Delhi on the day. Kodava people have been striving continuously and relentlessly to redetermine their politico-constitutional rights by requesting for the reestablishment of Kodava geopolitical entity. Following continuous fights by the CNC, The Constitution Review Commission of India (CRC) was constituted in the year 2000 by the then NDA government and in 2002, the CRC recommended for the creation of Coorg Autonomous Development Council under article 371 of Indian constitution, he said.

He pointed out that the previous NDA-led government had taken initiative to grant greater autonomy to existing 10 autonomous regions of North East. Nachappa urged the government to complete the Ethnographic survey on including Kodava tribe in the schedule list.

Codava National Council Secretary Prakash Cariappa was also present.