Consider the following statements about the Linguistic Reorganization of the States: 1. Gandhiji, in 1948, had argued for the reorganization of provinces on a linguistic basis 2. The Constituent Assembly recommended it to be incorporated in the Constitution of India 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
Correct — D, Neither 1 nor 2. Statement 1 is wrong on two counts: Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948, so he could not have 'in 1948' argued for linguistic reorganization, and when the government did examine the question that year its Dhar (Linguistic Provinces) Commission actually rejected language as the basis, favouring administrative convenience and national unity. Statement 2 is also wrong: the Constituent Assembly never recommended writing linguistic reorganization into the Constitution — its own bodies (the Dhar Commission of 1948 and the JVP Committee of 1949) counselled against it, and reorganization on linguistic lines came only later, through the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. Since neither statement holds, the answer is Neither 1 nor 2.
- (a)1 only — Statement 1 is false. Gandhi died on 30 January 1948, so he could not have argued the case 'in 1948'; and the body that examined the issue that year — the Dhar Commission — rejected the linguistic basis rather than endorsing it.
- (b)2 only — Statement 2 is false. The Constituent Assembly did not recommend incorporating linguistic reorganization in the Constitution; the Dhar Commission (1948) and the JVP Committee (1949) advised against it, and it was implemented only by ordinary law (the States Reorganisation Act, 1956).
- (c)Both 1 and 2 — Both statements are false, so 'Both 1 and 2' cannot be correct.
After independence the demand to redraw provinces on language lines was examined but initially resisted. The government appointed the Dhar Commission (Linguistic Provinces Commission, 1948), which rejected language as the sole basis, and then the JVP Committee (1949) — Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel and Pattabhi Sitaramayya — which also advised against immediate linguistic reorganization in the interest of unity. The breakthrough came only after Potti Sriramulu's death (1952), which led to Andhra State (1953), the Fazl Ali States Reorganisation Commission (1953-55) and the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
The item plants two plausible-sounding but false claims: that Gandhi personally pushed linguistic reorganization 'in 1948', and that the Constituent Assembly wanted it in the Constitution. In fact the official view in 1948-49 was the opposite — postpone it for the sake of national unity — and the change, when it came, was by statute, not by constitutional design. Recognising that both early committees advised against it resolves the item to 'Neither'.
- Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948 — he could not have argued for linguistic reorganization 'in 1948'.
- Dhar Commission (Linguistic Provinces Commission, 1948) rejected language as the basis, favouring administrative convenience and unity.
- JVP Committee (1949) — Nehru, Patel, Pattabhi Sitaramayya — also advised against immediate linguistic reorganization.
- Linguistic reorganization was not incorporated in the Constitution; it came via the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (after the Fazl Ali Commission).
- Andhra State (1953), formed after Potti Sriramulu's fast-unto-death, was the first state created on a linguistic basis.
Both statements are false; linguistic reorganization was resisted in 1948-49 and enacted only in 1956.
- Attributing the linguistic-reorganization demand to Gandhi and to the year 1948 (he died that January).
- Assuming linguistic reorganization was mandated by the Constitution rather than by the 1956 Act.
Statement-verification on the committees and timeline of the linguistic reorganization of states.
Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?
- (a) States Reorganization Act : Andhra Pradesh
- (b) Treaty of Yandabu : Assam
- (c) State of Bilaspur : Himachal Pradesh
- (d) Year 1966 : Gujarat becomes a State
Answer(d) Year 1966 : Gujarat becomes a State — the wrongly-matched pair (Gujarat was formed in 1960)
Turns on the same theme — the reorganisation of states, with the States Reorganisation Act paired to Andhra Pradesh (the linguistic-reorganization landmark) as a correctly-matched pair.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which commission, appointed in 1948, examined the linguistic reorganization of provinces and rejected language as the sole basis?
- (a)Fazl Ali Commission
- (b)Dhar Commission
- (c)Mahajan Commission
- (d)Sarkaria Commission
Answer(b) Dhar Commission (Linguistic Provinces Commission, 1948).
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which was the first Indian state to be formed on a linguistic basis?
- (a)Tamil Nadu
- (b)Kerala
- (c)Andhra State
- (d)Karnataka
Answer(c) Andhra State (1953), created after Potti Sriramulu's fast-unto-death.