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Édouard Goubert (29 July 1894 – 14 August 1979) was mayor and first
A referendum on the future of French India was held in Chandernagore, the territory right outside of Calcutta, on 19 June 1949. Out of 12,184 registered voters (drawn from a population of 44,500), 7,473 voted for merger with India while only 114 votes were cast in favor of inclusion in the French Union. While a similar referendum was supposed to be held in the remaining four territories, those referendums never took place.Jessica Namakkal, Unsettling Utopia: The Making and Unmaking of French India (Columbia University Press, 2021)
Initially, Goubert attempted to negotiate a special status for French India that would make it autonomous from both France and India. However, neither the French nor Indian governments agreed to the demand. By 1954, Goubert shifted his loyalty towards the pro-India faction and supported the annexation of French possessions to the Indian Union. In March 1954, he traveled to Pondicherry and took part in an agitation demanding the merger of French India with the Indian Union. On 29 June 1954, his parliamentary immunity was abolished. On 1 November 1954, France signed treaties transferring sovereignty of French possessions to India, ending Goubert's tenure in the French National Assembly.
Édouard Goubert biography – French National Assembly
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goubert, Edouard 1894 births 1979 deaths Indian people of French descent People from French India Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance politicians Indian National Congress politicians from Puducherry Deputies of the 2nd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Chief ministers from Indian National Congress Chief ministers of Puducherry Puducherry MLAs 1963–1964 Puducherry MLAs 1964–1969
chief minister
A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...
of Pondicherry
Pondicherry, officially known as Puducherry, is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of the Puducherry (union territory), Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the southeast coast of Indi ...
between 1 July 1963 and 11 September 1964. Initially a strongly pro-French
A Francophile is a person who has a strong affinity towards any or all of the French language, French history, French culture and/or French people. That affinity may include France itself or its history, language, cuisine, literature, etc. The te ...
leader, he later shifted towards the pro-merger Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
, which ultimately became the death knell for the sovereignty of France's ''comptoirs'' (trading posts) in India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. He and Lambert Saravane founded the French India Socialist Party
The French India Socialist Party () was a political party in French India. The party was led by Édouard Goubert, Minister for General Administration for French India.Mukherjee, Amiya Ranjan. Current Affairs: India, Pakistan and the World'. N. p ...
in July 1947.
Goubert was popularly known as ''Pappa Goubert''.
Early life and career
Goubert was born in Pondicherry on 29 July 1894 to a French father and Franco-Indian mother. He received his education in French Indochina and studied Law in France. He began his career in the colonial administration and worked as a clerk at the Pondicherry Court. In 1951, he ran as a candidate of theDemocratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance
The Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance (, UDSR) was a French political party founded after the liberation of France from German occupation, mainly active during the Fourth Republic (1947–58). It was a loosely organised "cadre p ...
for the seat of French India in the French National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale). Goubert won the election with an overwhelming majority of 99.3% of the vote.
A referendum on the future of French India was held in Chandernagore, the territory right outside of Calcutta, on 19 June 1949. Out of 12,184 registered voters (drawn from a population of 44,500), 7,473 voted for merger with India while only 114 votes were cast in favor of inclusion in the French Union. While a similar referendum was supposed to be held in the remaining four territories, those referendums never took place.Jessica Namakkal, Unsettling Utopia: The Making and Unmaking of French India (Columbia University Press, 2021)
Initially, Goubert attempted to negotiate a special status for French India that would make it autonomous from both France and India. However, neither the French nor Indian governments agreed to the demand. By 1954, Goubert shifted his loyalty towards the pro-India faction and supported the annexation of French possessions to the Indian Union. In March 1954, he traveled to Pondicherry and took part in an agitation demanding the merger of French India with the Indian Union. On 29 June 1954, his parliamentary immunity was abolished. On 1 November 1954, France signed treaties transferring sovereignty of French possessions to India, ending Goubert's tenure in the French National Assembly.
Death
Edouard Goubert died inBangalore
Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
, Karnataka
Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
on 14 August 1979.
See also
* Coup d'état of Yanaon *Puducherry Legislative Assembly
The Puducherry Legislative Assembly (French language, French: ''Assemblée législative de Pondichéry'') is the unicameral legislature of the Indian States and union territories of India, union territory (UT) of Puducherry (union territory), P ...
* Municipal administration in French India
References
External links
Édouard Goubert biography – French National Assembly
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goubert, Edouard 1894 births 1979 deaths Indian people of French descent People from French India Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance politicians Indian National Congress politicians from Puducherry Deputies of the 2nd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Chief ministers from Indian National Congress Chief ministers of Puducherry Puducherry MLAs 1963–1964 Puducherry MLAs 1964–1969