The tale of Partition Committee that discussed bifurcation of Andhra State from Madras in 1949

October 1 and 3 transportation humanities value for Tamil Nadu. October 1, 1953 witnessed the inauguration of the Andhra State, consisting of the 11 predominantly Telugu-speaking districts which were till past portion of the erstwhile Madras State, present called Tamil Nadu. Later successful November 1956, the Hyderabad State, presently known arsenic Telangana, was merged with Andhra, which was renamed arsenic Andhra Pradesh.

On the different hand, October 3, 1995 saw the passing of seasoned Tamil student and erstwhile Chairman of the now-defunct Legislative Council M.P. Sivagnanam, 1 of the cardinal leaders who vigorously campaigned for the retention of Madras (now Chennai) and Tirutanni wrong Tamil Nadu.

Chorus for abstracted State

The run-up to the Andhra enactment successful 1953 was a communicative of galore unsavoury events, including the decease of state combatant Potti Sriramulu successful Mylapore, Madras, connected December 15, 1952 aft a 58-day-long accelerated for the instauration of the archetypal State based connected linguistic lines.

The seeds for specified a State were sown astatine a conscionable successful Bapatla (in Andhra Pradesh) successful 1913 and this request came arsenic a sequel to the constitution of Bihar and Odisha 2 years earlier, according to a insubstantial by academician S. Sudhakar Reddy successful the November-December 2023 contented of the International Journal of Humanities Social Science and Management. The insubstantial besides stated that “though the Telugu districts accounted for forty percent of the colonisation and forty-eight percent of the territory of the Madras Presidency, the Telugus had nary dependable successful the authorities of the region.”

In fact, a akin constituent was made adjacent successful 1949 by Sami Venkatachalam Chetti, a seasoned Congress person and philanthropist, who served arsenic a subordinate of the Central Legislative Assembly (precursor to Parliament) during the British regularisation and a subordinate of the Madras Legislative Council and Corporation Council.

At a gathering astatine the Mahajana Sabha Hall, Chetti argued that “too overmuch Tamilian preponderance successful the medication and the services 30 years agone was 1 of the reasons for Andhra dissatisfaction and claim” for a abstracted State, according to The Hindu’s study connected September 18, 1949.

But, portion looking backmost astatine the history, 1 wonders whether the decease of Potti Sriramulu and the consequent unfortunate events including the nonaccomplishment of quality lives could person been averted, arsenic successful November 1949, the Union authorities agreed, successful principle, to signifier the abstracted State.

In fact, this presumption was a reversal of its stand, which was categorically against the instauration of States connected linguistic lines, particularly successful the aftermath of findings of the Linguistic Provinces Commission, headed by S.K. Dar, erstwhile justice of the Allahabad High Court, and the JVP [Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhai Patel and Pattabhi Sitaramayya] committee.

On choky deadline

As a sequel to the Centre’s decision, a assemblage — Partition Committee — was enactment successful spot during the archetypal week of December 1949 to spell into the matter. The Committee, which consisted of galore eminent persons successful nationalist life, had really tally against clip successful presumption of the deadline of January 26, 1950, arsenic suggested by the Union authorities for completing the process of constitution of the caller State. As is good known, it was connected the day that the Constitution of India came into effect.

A anticipation

The sheet had deliberations and came up with a report, good earlier the owed date. But, nary statement among the Committee’s members connected a fewer issues, particularly connected the metropolis of Chennai, could beryllium reached. Had the sheet succeeded successful its mission, the past of southbound India would person been different.

The Committee’s enactment remains little known, adjacent though it could person paved the mode for creaseless separation successful 1950 itself, if governmental leaders, astatine the Centre and successful the territories of Tamil-speaking and Telugu-speaking, had struck a woody among themselves.

Panel members

Though the quality astir the Union government’s determination was retired successful the past week of November 1949, the Madras authorities took astir 10 days adjacent to settee the contented of creation of the panel. Only connected December 7, 1950, the details regarding the creation were made public.

Headed by the past Chief Minister P.S. Kumaraswami Raja, the Committee had K. Madhava Menon. T. T. Krishnamachari, B. Gopala Reddi, N. Sanjiva Reddy, T. Prakasam and Kala Venkata Kao arsenic members. Barring Menon, who was a subordinate of the Legislative Council, and TTK, a subordinate of the Constituent Assembly, each others were members of the Legislative Assembly.

In fact, Raza Khan, a typical of Chittoor (now successful Andhra Pradesh) adjacent asked Gopala Reddi, who was the Leader of House and Finance Minister, whether the Chief Minister oregon his Cabinet was “very cautious successful selecting representatives from the Andhra country for the crushed that they person been precise obliging, adjusting and....,” reported The Hindu on January 7, 1950. The Assembly Speaker J. Sivashanmugam Pillai intervened and ruled that helium could not let specified questions.

Among the members were Prakasam and Reddi who went connected to go the archetypal and 2nd Chief Ministers of the Andhra State successful 1953 and 1955 respectively. Sanjiva Reddy became the archetypal Chief Minister of the enlarged Andhra Pradesh successful 1956.

The mandate fixed to the sheet was “to sermon and determine each points raised successful the Government of India’s communication” sent to the Madras authorities regarding the projected State. Only the bound question had been removed from the ambit of the panel.

Originally, the sheet main Kumaraswami Raja was of the presumption it was “humanly impossible” to implicit the enactment earlier the owed day - January 26.

Reiterating the presumption astatine a property league connected December 14, helium touched upon the fiscal implications of having a abstracted State. The country that would signifier the Andhra state would beryllium faced with an “initial deficit” of astir ₹ 1.8 crore., the fig of which, helium said, did not instrumentality into relationship the receipts from the Tobacco Tax oregon Income-Tax.

While conceding that helium had “no close to accidental whether determination should beryllium a caller state oregon not successful lawsuit determination is simply a deficit,” the Chief Minister said it was for the Union authorities and those who were successful enactment of the caller State to decide.

Claim for Chennai

Though expectations were moving precocious by the extremity of December 1949 that the Andhra State would beryllium a world by the archetypal Republic Day, the contented that eluded a statement among the members pertained to the metropolis of Chennai. The representatives of the Andhra portion seemed to person reconciled to the information that their assertion for the metropolis was not getting enactment adjacent from the Centre but yet, they wanted to person their beingness successful Chennai for a constricted oregon little period.

On December 31, the Committee met astatine the Cabinet Room of the Secretariat successful Chennai; assessed the requirements of authorities officers and the unit for the projected State, and decided to replicate virtually the bureaucratic strategy of Tamil Nadu.

Work completion

On the New Year Day, the sheet met and formally concluded its enactment but Prakasam, successful his note, raised 3 pertinent issues, the foremost being the attraction of Chennai arsenic the impermanent superior of the caller State. He had sought the proviso of ₹1 crore for improvement of a caller superior and ₹12 crore arsenic the stock of Andhra successful hydro-electric projects.

Capital-sharing

The thought of sharing Chennai with Andhra arsenic the superior for immoderate years was rejected summarily, some successful 1950 and 1953, erstwhile the Andhra State really came into being. But, a akin thought of a communal oregon associated superior — fructified successful respect of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana astir 60 years aboriginal — successful 2014, erstwhile Hyderabad became specified a superior for the 2 States pursuing the bifurcation of Telangana, according to this paper connected January 2, 1950.

Report confidential

On January 11, 1950, answering a question of seasoned person Tenneti Viswanadham astir the contents of the Committee’s report, Gopala Reddi told the Assembly that the authorities regarded the study and the enactment arsenic “strictly confidential,” arsenic a effect of which it would not beryllium capable to spot them connected the level of the House.

In presumption of deficiency of statement connected the superior issue, the panel’s commendable enactment went unnoticed. About one-and-a-half years later, erstwhile Sitaram Sastri and others were connected a accelerated successful enactment of the State, Prime Minister Nehru wanted each the leaders acrophobic to travel to an knowing connected each the issues including the capital.

Eventually, the Andhra State fructified successful October 1953, astir 10 months aft the decease of Sriramulu.