India held together by making room for linguistic identity, Pg9

Key Highlights:

• Potti Sriramulu undertook a fast unto death in 1952, demanding a separate state for Telugu-speaking districts of Madras.
• Sriramulu's death on the 58th day of his fast led to widespread unrest and forced the government's hand.
• The state of Andhra was created on October 1, 1953, as the first linguistic state in India.
• The States Reorganisation Commission was formed in 1953 under Justice Fazl Ali to redraw India's internal map based on language.
• The States Reorganisation Act, 1956, and the Seventh Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956, established 14 states and 6 Union Territories.

Detailed Insights:

• The Indian National Congress had initially supported linguistic reorganization of provinces in 1920 at its Nagpur session.
• Post-Partition, the government feared that linguistic states could threaten national unity and lead to secessionist tendencies.
• The Linguistic Provinces Commission (Dar Commission) in 1948 advised against linguistic reorganization of states.
• The JVP Committee (Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, Pattabhi Sitaramayya) in 1949 also recommended postponing linguistic reorganization.
• The States Reorganisation Commission report emphasized that language could not be ignored due to universal adult franchise but also stressed administrative capacity and safeguards for minorities.
• The initial States Reorganisation Act, 1956, created a bilingual Bombay State, which was later bifurcated into Maharashtra and Gujarat in 1960 due to public demand.
• Article 3 of the Constitution grants Parliament the power to redraw state boundaries, requiring consultation with state legislatures but not their consent.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Linguistic Provinces Commission (Dar Commission): A 1948 commission that recommended against the formation of linguistic states.
• JVP Committee: A 1949 committee of Nehru, Patel, and Sitaramayya that also advised against immediate linguistic reorganization.
• States Reorganisation Commission (Fazl Ali Commission): Formed in 1953 to recommend the reorganization of states on linguistic and administrative grounds.
• States Reorganisation Act, 1956: Legislation that implemented the recommendations of the Fazl Ali Commission, reorganizing India's states and union territories.
• Seventh Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956: Abolished the distinction between Part A, B, C, and D states and provided for the creation of new states and UTs.
• Article 3 of the Constitution: Empowers the Parliament to form new states, alter areas, boundaries, or names of existing states.