Dadala Raphael Ramanayya - Life As A Nationalist Leader

Life As A Nationalist Leader

As his first step he chose the Bahour commune, inhabited by about twenty five thousand people, as his area of operations. He worked hard to enroll municipal members, and especially the youth as members of "French India liberation volunteer corp", an organisation, which he founded in order to fight the pro-French violent activists. He also co-founded along with Monsieur Sellane, A pro merger freedom fighting organization which was named as "the French India merger congress". Monsieur Sellane accepted to be its president and Dadala assumed charge of secretary general. Their primary task was to cancel the referendum, as the French settlements were dominated by pro-French parties who by threats and subjugation of citizens, has retained hold.

Thereafter, his aggressive nationalist programmes in French territories disturbed and enraged the French government, who initially tried to woo him back through influence and gain and later by subjugation and threats. Warrants with extradition demands against him were pressed by the French ambassador to Prime Minister Nehru who deputed Sri C Rajagopalachari, then the chief minister, of Madras (now Tamil Nadu) to look into the case. Rajaji met Monsieur Dadala in Cuddalore collector's rest house and after taking his full statement, approved his actions and promised his support. A few days after, along with Monsieur Sellane Naicker and Advocate Sri Perumal, Monsieur Dadala met Prime Minister Nehru in Bangalore, in the presence of Sri Sheikh Abdullah and the chief minister KC Reddy of Mysore and submitted to him a memorandum requesting his help.

With no visible action was taken by Indian Government, on Monsieur Dadala and other nationalist parties in French Settlements, the French cabinet petitioned the UNO against the violation of the referendum agreement, and by allowing "gangs" to operate against the "Peaceful French citizens". The UNO in turn, deputed a board of observers consisting of Messrs. Holgar Anderson of Holland, Senor Baron Rodolfo Castro of Spain, Montieor Perreard of Switzerland, Mr Chan of Philippines and Mr Krabbe of Denmark to visit the French Settlements and give a full report to the International Court of Justice.

The observers arrived Pondicherry in March 1951. On 19 April 1951 in the traveler's bungalow on the frontier, Monsieur Dadala was called for a meeting with them where he had attended with proofs and reports of the Pro-French parties actrocities on the Indian nationalists. After a month of the observers departure from Pondicherry, the press published the report they submitted to the international court of justice and which contained detailed report about the unfair pro-French atmosphere prevalent at that time in French Settlements and that they conclude that in those circumstances a fair and impartial referendum was not possible.

But in spite of the damaging report of the observers against the French government, the pro-French parties went harping on the referendum. These landlords and others who perhaps thought that as far as Sellane Naicker and Dadala existed they would have trouble, had on 29 August 1952, engaged hooligans to shoot at Monsieur Sellane Naicker while he was in his house. Sellane escaped miraculously after receiving two bullet wounds in his left thigh, while four or five bullets entered the wall of his room . He refused to lodge a compliant with the French police or to be treated in a French hospital at Pondicherry. He was taken and admitted in the General hospital Madras. A leader who ruled the French settlements for over a decade, who was a president of the assembly and a knight commander of the French legion of honour, was shot and the local government did not make any arrest. All the Indian leaders in particular Prime Minister Nehru had condemned the attempt to murder sri naicker, in very strong words.

On October 10, 1952, the Prime Minister of India addressing a mammoth public meeting on the Island grounds in Madras referred to this episode and declared "Even a respected leader in Pondicherry only a few days ago was badly attacked and came to the general hospital in Madras. What has the French government in Pondicherry have done about it?. Nothing. I believe that they arrested someone and later released him. Now, am I to understand that there is no government left in Pondicherry and only goondaism rules there?".

On the same day, Sri Naicker, Dr. Ambrose, Advocate Perumal, Sri Srikanta Ramanujam, Advocate Xavery, Sri I K Kumaran, Sri Baradan and Monsieur Dadala met Prime Minister Nehru in the Rajbhavan, Madras, while all the top leaders of Madras were also present. Prime Minister Nehru called upon the Tamil Nadu Congress Leaders to extend all material help to the refugees of Pondicherry who were under Monsieur Dadala's care. late Sri Raghunandan Saran, Managing Partner of Ashok Leyland Automobile Factory of Ennore, Madras, extended great help to the refugees and provided for their maintenance. He also introduced Monsieur Dadala to Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri for whom he they shared great respect.

About 10 December 1953, Consul General RK Tandon was transferred and Sri Kewal Singh took his place. He stood behind Monsieur Sellane Naicker and Monsieur Dadala . He was able to detach the pro-French leaders and members of the assembly from the French camp and took them to New Delhi. A provisional Government with Edouard Goubert, as the head, was formed in the enclave of Nettapacom. The Indian Armed Reserve was posted round its borders.

In the meanwhile, negotiations were going on between the two governments in Delhi and Paris. Sri Kewal Singh met all the leaders of the provisional Government at a conference in Kandamangalam in the night of 11 April 1954. He explained that the French authorities were making fun of the petty provisional government of Nettapacom. He suggested that if the leaders wanted real liberation of all settlements they should occupy any of the big four settlements. While Dropping Dadala at his home from the meeting, Sri Kewal Singh requested Dadala what he thought of the plan and if he had any ideas. Subsequently, a plan for Dadala to try to liberate Yanam was formed.