The States Reorganization Commission (SRC), formed in 1953 under the chairmanship of Fazal Ali, aimed to reorganize Indian states primarily on linguistic lines. Its report, submitted in 1955, made significant recommendations that transformed the political geography of India. Here are the main provisions and recommendations:

1. Linguistic Basis for States

  • The SRC recommended that states should largely be reorganized based on language to ensure that people speaking the same language were united within a single state. This was to promote administrative convenience, cultural cohesion, and ease of governance.
  • However, the Commission cautioned that linguistic considerations should not compromise national unity.

2. Abolition of Old Provinces

  • The SRC proposed the abolition of existing provinces and princely states, and their merger into new states based on linguistic and administrative considerations. This included combining small states and merging princely states with adjacent regions.

3. Creation of New States

  • Based on linguistic lines, the SRC recommended the formation of the following states:
    • Andhra Pradesh for Telugu speakers (with the merger of Andhra and parts of the Hyderabad state).
    • Karnataka (then called Mysore) for Kannada speakers.
    • Kerala for Malayalam speakers.
    • Maharashtra and Gujarat for Marathi and Gujarati speakers, respectively.

4. Special Provisions for Certain States

  • The Commission suggested that states like Bombay, Punjab, and Madras should be reorganized in a manner that balances linguistic, geographical, and administrative needs.
  • The idea was to accommodate multiple languages in certain areas while also protecting the rights of minorities.

5. Recommendations on Union Territories

  • The SRC proposed the formation of Union Territories where full statehood was not viable due to administrative or economic reasons. This included regions like Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep.

6. Protection of Minority Rights

  • The SRC placed significant emphasis on ensuring that linguistic minorities within states were protected. It recommended setting up safeguards, such as linguistic minority commissions, to address any concerns that arose due to the reorganization.

7. National Unity

  • While recommending the linguistic reorganization, the SRC underscored the need to maintain national unity. The report stressed that states should not be formed solely based on language if it posed a threat to India's integrity and unity.

8. Rejection of Some Demands

  • The SRC rejected demands for the formation of certain states. Notably, it did not recommend the creation of Punjab as a separate state for Punjabi speakers or the bifurcation of Bombay immediately, which led to later demands and protests that ultimately resulted in the formation of Maharashtra and Gujarat in 1960.

Implementation

  • The States Reorganization Act of 1956 largely implemented the recommendations of the SRC. This act led to the creation of 14 states and 6 union territories, drastically changing India's internal political boundaries.

Conclusion

The recommendations of the SRC were crucial in stabilizing India's federal structure post-independence, allowing for more homogenous and linguistically aligned states while promoting effective governance and safeguarding the country's unity. Although not all suggestions were adopted immediately, many were implemented in later years as the country continued to adjust its political map.

These recommendations continue to influence Indian politics, especially in the formation of states and the linguistic identity of regions.