Reorganisation of states

The essentials

During the national movement the Congress had promised to reorganise provinces on the basis of language. After independence, leaders feared that linguistic states might weaken unity so soon after Partition, so the decision was postponed. Popular movements changed this.

In the Telugu-speaking areas of the Madras Province, a movement demanded a separate Andhra state. Potti Sriramulu, a Congress leader and veteran Gandhian, went on an indefinite fast and died after 56 days in December 1952. This led to widespread unrest, and the government announced the creation of Andhra state, formed in October 1953.

Key points

• The States Reorganisation Commission was appointed in 1953 to look into redrawing state boundaries. Its report led to the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, which created 14 states and 6 Union Territories.
• Bombay state was divided in 1960 into Maharashtra and Gujarat after the Samyukta Maharashtra and Mahagujarat movements.
• Punjab was divided in 1966 to create Haryana, and parts were added to Himachal Pradesh.
• Later states were formed for other reasons as well: Nagaland (1963); Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura (1972); Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh (1987); Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand (2000); and Telangana (2014).
• Linguistic states did not weaken unity as feared; they made democracy more participatory by letting people use their own language in government.
• The question of an official language also caused conflict. The Constitution made Hindi the official language with English to continue for some time; protests in Tamil Nadu in the 1960s led to English continuing as an associate language.

Exam tips

• Memorise the key years: 1952 (Sriramulu's death), 1953 (Andhra state and SRC), 1956 (Act), 1960, 1966.
• Be ready to argue why linguistic states strengthened, not weakened, unity.

Common mistakes

• Saying Andhra Pradesh was created in 1956; Andhra state was formed in 1953 and expanded into Andhra Pradesh in 1956.
• Confusing the SRC report with the States Reorganisation Act.