Madikeri: Seeking fulfilment of its demands which chiefly included declaration of Kodagu as a Union Territory or formation of the Second States Reorganisation Commission for restoring Coorg State as a Part-C State of India, which existed from 1950 to 1956, the Codava National Council (CNC) will stage a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Nov. 1.

As a prelude to this, a delegation led by CNC President N.U. Nachappa staged a demonstration in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Madikeri yesterday and submitted a memorandum containing their charter of demands.

Later speaking to press persons, Nachappa said that before 1956, Coorg was an administratively separate Coorg State, at which point it was merged into an enlarged Mysore State. He noted that Coorg State was a part C-State of India which existed from 1950 to 1956. But when the Constitution came into force on Jan. 26, 1950, Coorg Province became Coorg State, which was abolished on Nov.1, 1956 as per the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 and its territory was merged with Mysore State, which was later renamed as Karnataka in 1973, he pointed out.

Maintaining that Independent India’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, while addressing a Parliament session had said that Coorg was the only ‘Rama Rajya’ of the country, Nachappa contended that the period between 1952 and 1956 was the ‘golden era’ for Coorg, as the State had charted the path of progress. But the Coorg State was merged with the then Mysore State which dashed all hopes of Kodavas for continuance of separate administration, he said.

 Now, in order to restore the past glory of Kodagu, the CNC has been demanding formation of a second States Reorganisation Commission as Kodagu needed full autonomy for making it free of land mafias. He urged the Government to immediately declare Kodagu as a Union Territory, for which the CNC has been demanding in a peaceful manner.

 Nachappa also demanded that Kodavas should be granted ethno linguistic tribal minority nationality status under Articles 340 and 342 of the Constitution, inclusion of ‘Kodava Thakk’ in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution and Constitutional guarantee for holding firearms (due to martial traditions similar to Sikhs and Nagas) without hindrance for ever, as the Kodavas worship weapons (guns and swords) as part of their tradition.