Indian Polity & Constitution Quiz: Consolidation of India after Independence | 4th Jan, 2021

The language issue was further clarified by Parliament in 1963 through the Official Languages Act which stated that Hindi was to become the official language in India from 1965.

Source: Spectrum Modern India Page no, 715.

The Congress in its 1920’s session in Nagpur had made efforts to recognise regional linguistic identities and divided India into 21 linguistic units for its organisational set up.

Many provincial Congress committees were set up on the basis of linguistic zones, which often did not coincide with the administrative divisions of British India.

Source: Spectrum Modern India Page no, 715.

Due to continuous demands, the Constituent Assembly, in June 1948, appointed the Linguistic Provinces Commission, and headed by Justice S.K. Dhar, to enquire into the need of linguistic provinces.

• The Dhar Commission, however, opposed such a move in the interest of national integration.
• Consequently the Constituent Assembly decided not to include the linguistic principle in the constitution.

Source: Spectrum Modern India Page no, 716.

The first demand for a linguistic province was seen in the Telugu-speaking region of Andhra.

• In August 1951, Swami Sitaram, a Congressman and Gandhian leader started a fast unto death.
• While he broke his fast after thirty-five days, the movement was renewed in December 1952, by another Gandhian follower, Potti Sriramulu who died after fasting for fifty-six days.

Source: Spectrum Modern India Page no, 716.

The creation of Andhra encouraged other linguistic groups to intensify their movements for their own state or for rectification of their boundaries on a linguistic ground.

• Under popular pressure, Nehru government appointed the States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) in August 1953.
• The commission, comprising Justice Fazl Ali, K.M. Panikkar and Hridaynath Kunzru as members, submitted its report in October 1955;
• Its recommendations were accepted with some modifications and implemented quickly.

Source: Spectrum Modern India Page no, 716 – 717.

In November 1956, the States Reorganization Act was passed which provided for fourteen states and six centrally administered territories, but many of these states still contained sizeable linguistic minorities and regional economic disparities.

Source: Spectrum Modern India Page no, 717.

In an exception to the linguistic principle, in 1956, the states of PEPSU were merged with Punjab.

Punjab remained a trilingual state having three language speakers—Punjabi, Hindi and Pahari.

Source: Spectrum Modern India Page no, 717.

Perhaps the first time people exercised their right of choice for a party other than the Congress was when they voted the Communists into power in Kerala in 1957.

Source: Spectrum Modern India Page no, 718.

In September 1952, the CSP merged with the Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party (KMPP) to form a new party—Praja Socialist Party (PSP).

Source: Spectrum Modern India Page no, 718.

Founded in August 1959, the Swatantra Party was a nonsocialist, constitutionalist and secular conservative party having distinguished leaders like C. Rajagopalachari (who resigned from the Congress), Minoo Masani, N.G. Ranga and K.M. Munshi, most of them being veteran Congress leaders.

Source: Spectrum Modern India Page no, 721.