Question

Describe any three circumstances under which the State Reorganisation Commission was constituted.

Answer 1

After Independence, India needed to redraw its internal boundaries to reflect linguistic and cultural diversity while maintaining national unity. This led to demands for the reorganisation of states.

1. Colonial Legacy: During British rule, state boundaries were created for administrative ease rather than linguistic or cultural reasons. Although the freedom movement had supported linguistic reorganisation, leaders after Partition were worried that such changes might promote separatism.
2. Vishalandhra Movement: The demand for a separate state for Telugu-speaking people resulted in the Vishalandhra Movement. The death of Potti Sriramulu following a prolonged hunger strike in 1952 sparked mass protests, which led to the creation of the Andhra state in 1953.
3. National Response: The formation of Andhra Pradesh encouraged similar demands in other regions. To handle these demands, the States Reorganisation Commission was set up in 1953. Its recommendations formed the basis of the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, which reorganised Indian states largely on linguistic lines.