Question

Discuss the linguistic reorganisation of the state with reference to Bombay.

Answer 1

Events leading to the linguistic reorganization of Bombay:

1. The State Reorganisation Committee (SRC) did not favour the division of Bombay. However, there was strong opposition in Maharashtra to the 1956 Act, stemming from disputes between the Marathi- and Gujarati-speaking communities.
2. The business class of Bombay, mainly Gujaratis and Parsis, did not want Bombay city to be included in Maharashtra.
3. Initially, the government planned to separate the Marathi- and Gujarati-speaking regions and to keep Bombay city under central administration. Both groups opposed this decision.
4. During 1955-56, the situation in Bombay became violent, and effigies of Nehru and Morarji Desai were burned. Many Congress leaders also supported the demand for a separate state of Maharashtra.
5. In 1957, the Congress Party won the elections in Maharashtra by a very small margin, but the agitation continued for another five years.
6. Finally, in 1960, the government agreed to divide Bombay state into Maharashtra and Gujarat. Bombay city was included in Maharashtra, while Ahmedabad was made the capital of Gujarat.