Which one of the following statements about 'Princely States' in India is not correct?
- (a)The British Government declared that States were free to join either India or Pakistan or remain independent.
- (b)The decision to join either India or Pakistan or remain independent was left not to the people of Princely States but to the Princely Rulers.
- (c)The Ruler of Travancore first decided to remain independent.
- (d)The State of Travancore finally joined India through a plebiscite.
Correct — D, The State of Travancore finally joined India through a plebiscite. The stem asks which statement is NOT correct, and no plebiscite was ever held in Travancore. Its Dewan, Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer, announced in June 1947 that the state would stay independent; after an attempt on his life in July he left for Madras, the Maharaja reversed course, and Travancore acceded to India by an Instrument of Accession negotiated with V. P. Menon in the weeks before 15 August 1947. Accession everywhere was a ruler's signature on a legal instrument, never a popular vote.
- (a)The British Government declared that States were free to join either India or Pakistan or remain independent. — Correct as a statement of what the British announced, so it is not the answer. Lapse of paramountcy under the Indian Independence Act left the states technically free to accede to either dominion or to stand apart.
- (b)The decision to join either India or Pakistan or remain independent was left not to the people of Princely States but to the Princely Rulers. — Correct, and it is the hinge of the whole episode. The choice was put to the rulers, not to their subjects, which is why the accessions of Junagadh, Hyderabad and Kashmir became disputes about whose consent counted.
- (c)The Ruler of Travancore first decided to remain independent. — Correct. Travancore was the first state to declare it would remain independent, the declaration coming from Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer in June 1947.
About 565 princely states covered two-fifths of the subcontinent under British paramountcy. The Indian Independence Act, 1947 lapsed that paramountcy rather than transferring it, so each ruler had to sign an Instrument of Accession ceding defence, external affairs and communications. The States Department under Sardar Patel and V. P. Menon brought almost all of them in before 15 August 1947.
This item rewards knowing that accession was a legal act by a ruler. Plebiscites belong to a different and much narrower story — one was promised over Kashmir and never held, and Junagadh's ruler acceded to Pakistan while a referendum organised afterwards went the other way. Travancore had neither. A candidate who half-remembers 'plebiscite' from the Kashmir file will attach it to the wrong state.
- Travancore's Dewan Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer declared for independence in June 1947; an attempt on his life followed in July and he left the state.
- The Maharaja then acceded to India, the accession being settled with V. P. Menon in August 1947.
- Hyderabad, Junagadh and Jammu and Kashmir were the three states outside the pre-Independence settlement.
- The Instrument of Accession ceded only defence, external affairs and communications; full merger came later.
- June 1947 — Dewan Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer announces that Travancore will remain independent
- July 1947 — an attempt is made on his life; he resigns and leaves for Madras
- The Maharaja opens negotiations with V. P. Menon of the States Department
- August 1947 — Travancore accedes to India by signing the Instrument of Accession
- No referendum or plebiscite is held at any stage
A ruler's signature settled it, which is exactly what option (d) denies.
- Carrying 'plebiscite' over from the Kashmir file to any other state.
- A 'not correct' stem, where three of the four statements are deliberately true.
As which states held out, who decided accession, or what the Instrument of Accession actually transferred.
With reference to the Government of India Act, 1935, consider the following statements: 1. It provided for the establishment of an All India Federation based on the union of the British Indian Provinces and Princely States. 2. Defence and Foreign Affairs were kept under the control of the federal legislature. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer(a) 1 only
The constitutional prehistory. The 1935 Act's All-India Federation was to rest on an accession by the princely states that never happened, which is why 1947 had to start the question over from scratch.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Under the Indian Independence Act, 1947, British paramountcy over the princely states was
- (a)transferred to the Dominion of India
- (b)transferred to the Dominion of Pakistan
- (c)allowed to lapse
- (d)continued for a further five years
Answer(c) allowed to lapse — paramountcy was not inherited by either dominion, which is why every ruler had to sign an Instrument of Accession.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which princely state acceded to India only after military action in September 1948?
- (a)Travancore
- (b)Hyderabad
- (c)Bhopal
- (d)Jodhpur
Answer(b) Hyderabad — brought in by Operation Polo after the Nizam held out beyond August 1947.