Answer:
- In December 1953, the Government of India set up a three-member States Reorganisation Commission under the chairmanship of Justice Fazl Ali, with K.M. Panikkar and H.N. Kunzru as its other members. The Commission was appointed in the background of growing linguistic agitations, especially after the creation of Andhra State in 1953 following Potti Sriramulu's death. Its objective was to examine objectively and dispassionately the reorganisation of states of the Indian Union, keeping in view the welfare of each constituent unit as well as of the nation as a whole.
Recommendations of the Commission
- Unity and security - The Commission held that preservation and strengthening of the unity and security of the country must be the first consideration in any scheme of reorganisation.
- Linguistic and cultural homogeneity - It accepted that states should, as far as possible, bring together people speaking the same language and sharing a common culture.
- Financial, economic and administrative considerations - The viability of a state in terms of resources and administrative efficiency was also to be kept in mind.
- Planning and welfare - Successful working of national plans and promotion of the welfare of the people of each state as well as of the nation as a whole was made a guiding factor.
- Rejection of one language-one state theory - While broadly accepting language as a basis, the Commission clearly rejected the idea of 'one language, one state' and held that national unity must override linguistic claims wherever the two conflicted.
- Abolition of four-fold classification - It recommended scrapping the existing Part A, B, C, D classification of states, which had no rational basis.
- Two-fold classification - In its place, it suggested a simple two-fold classification into States and Union Territories.
- Number of units - It originally proposed 16 states and 3 centrally administered territories, with smaller Part C and D units merged into neighbouring states.
- Bombay and Punjab kept bilingual - It recommended that Bombay and Punjab continue as composite bilingual states for the time being, considering their division administratively difficult at that stage.
How It Reshaped India's Political Map
- States Reorganisation Act, 1956 - The government accepted the recommendations with some modifications, and Parliament passed the States Reorganisation Act along with the 7th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956.
- Creation of 14 states and 6 Union Territories - With effect from 1 November 1956, the old Part A, B, C, D structure was replaced, giving India 14 states and 6 union territories.
- Legitimised linguistic principle - The exercise institutionalised language as an acceptable, though not absolute, basis for internal boundaries, setting a precedent for the future.
- Trigger for further reorganisation - The unresolved bilingual arrangement in Bombay and Punjab led to fresh agitations, resulting in the creation of Maharashtra and Gujarat in 1960 and Punjab and Haryana in 1966. and Punjab and Haryana in 1966.
- Later state formations - The same underlying principles guided subsequent reorganisations, including the creation of the north-eastern states, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand in 2000, and Telangana in 2014.
- Federal balance - By balancing linguistic identity with national unity, the Commission's framework helped accommodate India's diversity within a strong federal structure, a balance that has broadly held since 1956.
Conclusion:
♦ Thus, the States Reorganisation Commission gave India its first rational and systematic basis for redrawing internal boundaries. Its 1956 framework remains the backbone of India's present state structure, even as the map has continued to evolve in line with the very principles it laid down.