Decoding Statehood Demands

First Few Words

- Partha Prawal

The demand for a separate Gorkhaland and the subsequent political commotion in West Bengal, especially in Darjeeling, has once again brought in front the possible situations that may arise due to similar separate statehood demands flickering in the Northeast, which, however, have been subdued for some time now. From Uttar Pradesh to Tamil Nadu, from Gujarat to Tripura, the entire nation is echoing with several demands for separate states.

If Gorkhaland is formed, the nation is certain to feel the butterfly effect. Northeast is certain to be heated up. The region sits over a semi-active volcano of statehood demands.

A Historical Account

At the time when India gained independence, it was divided into 562 princely states. With the efforts of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel integration of various princely states occurred and in 1950, India labelled them as States.

While most of the princely states merged into the existing provinces, a few on the other hand came to be named as other provinces.

The states and provinces were divided into three parts- A, B, and C.

The Part A states, which were the former Governors’ provinces of British India, were ruled by an elected Governor and State legislature. Assam, Bihar, Bombay, Madhya Pradesh (formerly Central Provinces and Berar), Madras, Odisha, Punjab (formerly East Punjab), Uttar Pradesh (formerly the United Provinces), and West Bengal were the nine Part A states.

There were 8 Part B states Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Bharat, Mysore, Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU), Rajasthan, and Saurasthra.

The Part C states included both the former Chief Commissioners’ provinces and some princely states- each of which were governed by a Chief Commissioner. There were 10 Part C states, which were Ajmer, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, and Vindhya Pradesh.