Merger Of Princely States

Integration and Merger of Princely States:

The princely states or the Indian states included tiny states such as Bilbari with a population of 27 persons and some big ones like Hyderabad.

During independence, India comprised 2 political units:

1. British Provinces — under the direct rule of the British Government.
2. Princely States — under the rule of princes subject to British paramountcy.

The Indian Independence Act of 1947 established two dominions, India and Pakistan, and provided princely states with three options: join India, join Pakistan, or remain independent. 549 princely states (within India’s geographical limits) joined India, while three refused to join but eventually integrated.

There are 4 types of classification of the States during independence in 1950:

1. Part A: 9 governor’s province of British India
2. Part B:  9 princely states with a legislature
3. Part C: 10 chief commissioner’s provinces of British India & princely states.
4. Part D: Andaman & Nicobar Islands

In the interim cabinet, Sardar Patel, who was in charge of the states’ ministry, and V.P. Menon, the ministry’s secretary, appealed to rulers’ patriotic feelings to join the Indian dominion in matters of defence, communication, and external affairs—the three areas that had been part of the crown’s paramountcy and over which the states had no control anyway. As a result, the princely states’ sovereignty will not be harmed when they join India. 136 states had joined the Indian Union by August 15, 1947, but others remained precariously outside.

Plebiscite and Army Action:

Junagarh:

The Muslim nawab desired to join Pakistan, but the Hindu majority people desired to join India. In response to the nawab’s restrictive attitude, a vote was held, with India winning.

Hyderabad:

Hyderabad desired independence. The public pushed hard for India to join. The Nizam came down hard on the agitators repressive policy. On September 13, 1948, the Indian army stormed Hyderabad, and the Nizam surrendered on September 18, 1948. Hyderabad was constituted as a city in India in November 1949.

Kashmir:

Jammu and Kashmir were ruled by a Hindu monarch and had a Muslim majority population. The prince envisioned the state as sovereign and refused to submit to either of the dominions. As he procrastinated, the newly formed state of Pakistan deployed its forces behind a front of tribal militia and advanced menacingly towards Srinagar. The prince was not formed to sign an Instrument of Accession with India in October 1947. Indian troops were dispatched to protect the state against Pakistani raids. India’s protests to Pakistani raids at the UN Security Council, as well as India’s offer to vote on the state’s name, resulted in a ceasefire, but 84,000 square kilometres of land remained unclaimed.

Main problems after the integration of 3 main princely states:

Transforming the states into viable administration units
absorbing princely states into constitutional states

It was resolved by-

Smaller states were merged into larger provinces and listed in Part A, for example, 39 Orissa and Chhattisgarh states were merged into Orissa’s central provinces. Gujarat was absorbed into Bombay.

Part C (61 states) lists Himachal Pradesh, Vindhya Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Bhopal, and other states that have been designated as centrally governed for strategic or exceptional reasons.

Creating five unions: Kathiawar, Madhya Pradesh, Patiala and East Punjab States Union, Rajasthan, and Travancore-Cochin.

Initially, these states agreed to cooperate in the areas of defence, communication, and external affairs but eventually realised that a closer relationship was required. The five unions and Mysore agreed to Indian Jurisdiction in Union, concurrent subjects save taxes, and differences as defined by Article 238 as well as the Union’s supervisory power for ten years.

Part-B states were removed as a class by the 7th Amendment (1956), which combined Parts A and B into one.

Important Questions:

Q1: The two Dominion India and Pakistan were established by which act?

A. Government of India act, 1935 
B. Indian Independence act, 1947
C. Morley Minto act, 1909 
D. Montague-Chelmsford act, 1919

Answer: B

Solution: 

The Indian Independence Act of 1947 established two dominions, India and Pakistan, and provided princely states with three options: join India, join Pakistan, or remain independent. 549 princely states (within India’s geographical limits) joined India, while three refused to join but eventually integrated.

Q2: How many political units were there at the time of Independence?

A. 2 
B. 11 
C. 7 
D. 3

Answer: B

Solution: 

During independence, India comprised 2 political units:

1. British Provinces — under the direct rule of the British Government.
2. Princely States — under the rule of princes subject to British paramountcy.

Q3: During independence, in how many parts the states were classified?

A. 3
B. 11 
C. 7 
D. 4 

Answer: D

Solution: 

1. Part A: 9 governor’s province of British India
2. Part B:  9 princely states with a legislature
3. Part C: 10 chief commissioner’s provinces of British India & princely states.
4. Part D: Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Q4: How many chief commissioner provinces are thereafter classified as states at the time of independence?

A. 2 
B. 10 
C. 7 
D. 3

Answer: B

Solution: 

1. Part A: 9 governor’s province of British India
2. Part B:  9 princely states with a legislature
3. Part C: 10 chief commissioner’s provinces of British India & princely states.
4. Part D: Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Q5: How many states Join India by August 15, 1947?

A. 111 
B. 122 
C. 136 
D. 201

Answer: C

Solution: 

The princely states’ sovereignty will not be harmed when they join India. 136 states had joined the Indian Union by August 15, 1947, but others remained precariously outside.