THOUGHTS ON LINGUISTIC STATES
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First published: 1955
Reprinted from the edition of 1955
Contents
Chapter III : The pros and cons of a linguistic state
Chapter IV : Must there be one state for one language ?
Chapter V : The north versus the south
Chapter VI : The division of the north
Chapter VII : The problems of Maharashtra
Chapter X : Majorities and minorities
Chapter XI : India and the necessity of a second capital a way to remove tension between the north and the south
Appendix I : Population by Linguistic Families
Appendix II : Area and Population of States of United States of America
Appendix III : The population of the Bombay City according to the Communities
Appendix IV : Provincial/State Revenue
Appendix V : Budgetary Position of the States on Revenue Account
Appendix VI : Budgetary Position of the States on Revenue Account
Appendix VII : Central Revenues (Selected Years)
Appendix VIII : Population of the Indian Union by Communities
Appendix IX : Statistics of Chief Castes
Appendix X : Relative Population of Different Communities
PREFACE
The creation of Linguistic States is a burning question of the day. I regret that owing to my illness I was not able to take part in the debate that took place in Parliament much less in the campaign that is carried on in the country by partisans in favour of their views. The question is too important for me to sleep over in silence. Many have accused me for remaining quiet not knowing what the cause was.
I have therefore taken the other alternative i.e. to set out my views in writing.
Readers may find certain inconsistencies in my views as expressed in this brochure and as expressed formerly in certain public statements. Such changes in my view are, I am sure, very few. The former statements were made on the basis of fragmentary data. The whole picture was then not present to the mind. For the first time it met my eye when the report of the S.R.C. came out. This is sufficient justification for any change in my views which a critic may find.
To a critic who is a hostile and malicious person and who wants to make capital out of my inconsistencies my reply is straight. Emerson has said that consistency is the virtue of an ass and I don't wish to make an ass of myself. No thinking human being can be tied down to a view once expressed in the name of consistency. More important than consistency is responsibility. A responsible person must learn to unlearn what he has learned. A responsible person must have the courage to rethink and change his thoughts. Of course there must be good and sufficient reasons for unlearning what he has learned and for recasting his thoughts. There can be no finality in thinking.
The formation of Linguistic States, although essential, cannot be decided by any sort of hooliganism. Nor must it be solved in a manner that will serve party interest. It must be solved by cold blooded reasoning. This is what I have done and this is what I appeal to my readers to do.
23rd December 1955
Milind Mahavidyalaya
Nagsen Vana, College Road
Aurangabad (Dn.)
B. R. AMBEDKAR
LINGUISM AND NOTHING ELSE
The present Constitution of India recognises the following States which are enumerated in the Schedule :
Part “A” States | Part “B” States | Part “C” States |
1. Andhra | 1. Hyderabad | 1. Ajmer |
2. Assam | 2. Jammu & Kashmir | 2. Bhopal |
3. Bihar | 3. Madhya Bharat | 3. Coorg |
4. Bombay | 4. Mysore | 4. Delhi |
5. Madhya Pradesh | 5. Patiala | 5. Himachal Pradesh |
6. Madras | 6. Rajasthan | 6. Kutch |
7. Orissa | 7. Saurashtra | 7. Manipur |
8. Punjab | 8. Travancore - Cochin | 8. Tripura |
9. Uttar Pradesh | 9. Vindhya Pradesh |
Article 3 of the Constitution gives power to Parliament to create new States. This was done because there was no time to reorganize the States on linguistic basis for which there was a great demand.
In pursuance of this incessant demand the Prime Minister appointed the States Reorganisation Commission to examine the question. In its report the States Reorganisation Commission has recommended the creation of the following States:
Proposed New States
Name of the State | Area (Sq. Miles) | Population (Crores) | Language |
Madras | 50,170 | 3.00 | Tamil |
Kerala | 14,980 | 1.36 | Malyalam |
Karnatak | 72,730 | 1.90 | Kanarese |
Hyderabad | 45,300 | 1.13 | Telugu |
Andhra | 64,950 | 2.09 | Telugu |
Bombay | 151,360 | 4.02 | Mixed |
Vidarbha | 36,880 | 0.76 | Marathi |
Madhya Pradesh | 171,200 | 2.61 | Hindi |
Rajasthan | 132,300 | 1.60 | Rajasthani |
Punjab | 58,140 | 1.72 | Punjabi |
Uttar Pradesh | 113,410 | 6.32 | Hindi |
Bihar | 66,520 | 3.82 | Hindi |
West Bengal | 34,590 | 2.65 | Bengali |
Assam | 89,040 | 0.97 | Assamese |
Orissa | 60,140 | 1.46 | Oria |
Jammu and Kashmir | 92,780 | 0.14 | Kashmiri |
The important thing is to compare the size of the states -
Taking population as the measuring red the result may be presented as follows:
There are 8 states with a population between 1 and 2 crores each.
There are 4 states with a population between 2 and 4 crores each.
There is one state above 4 crores.
There is one state above 6 crores.
The result, to say the least, is fantastic. The Commission evidently thinks that the size of a state is a matter of no consequence and that the equality in the size of the status constituting a federation is a matter of no moment.
This is the first and the most terrible error cost which the commission has committed. If not rectified in time, it will Indeed be a great deal.
LINGUISM IN EXCELSIS
In the first chapter it has been pointed out that one result of the recommendations of the states Reorganisation Commission is the disparity in the size of the different States the Commission has suggested for creation.
But there is another fault in the recommendation of the commission which perhaps is hidden but which is nonetheless real.
It lies in not considering the North in relation to the South. This will be clear from following table :
Southern States | Central States | Northern States [f.1] | |||
Name | Population (in crores) | Name | Population (in crores) | Name | Population (in crores) |
Madras | 3.00 | Maharashtra | 3.31 | Uttar Pradesh | 6.32 |
Kerala | 1.36 | Gujarat | 1.13 | Bihar | 3.85. |
Karnataka | 1.90 | Saurashtra | 0.4 | Madhya Pradesh | |
Andhra | 1.09 | Kutch | 0.5 | Rajasthan | 2.61 |
Hyderabad | 1.13 | Punjab | 1.72 | ||
This scheme of dividing India in the name of Linguistic States cannot be overlooked. It is not so innocuous as the Commission thinks. It is full of poison. The poison must be emptied right now.
The nature of Union of India expresses only an idea. It does not indicate an achievement. Bryce in his " American Commonwealth " relates the following incident which is very instructive. This is what he says :
" A few years ago the American Protestant Episcopal Church was occupied at its annual conference in revising liturgy. It was thought desirable to introduce among the short sentence prayers a prayer for the whole people; and an eminent New England Divine proposed the words ' 0 Lord, bless our Nation '. Accepted one afternoon on the spur of the moment, the sentence was brought up next day for reconsideration, when so many objections were raised by the laity to the word, ' Nation ', as importing too definite recognition of national unity, that it was dropped, and instead there were adopted the words, ' 0 Lord, bless these United States.' "
India is not even mentally and morally fit to call itself the United States of India. We have to go a long way to become the United States of India. The Union of India is far, far away, from the United States of India. But this consolidation of the North and balkanisation of the South is not the way to reach it.
[f.1]I have included certain centrally situated States because by language they are affiliated to one another.
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