National Integration

An Anachronism
• 565 Princely States
• Hyderabad, Mysore, Travancore, Patiala,
Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Pudukkottai,
Kashmir, etc.
• 400 states with 20 sqm
• 26% population
• One third of the British Indian empire
 Government Policy
• Autonomous subject to ‘British Paramountry’
• Anouncement in 1942 regarding British
departure from India
• Changed in 1947
• Asked to adjust their relations with British
govt.
 Operation Princes
• Mountpatter launched operation princes on 25 th
July 1947
• Two points: 1) the Princes would be offered as
Instrument of Accession, conceding rights on
foreign affairs, defence and communication
which they had never enjoyed before;
• 2) they had to decide whether to accede or to
remain independent well before 15 August 1947
• Except Travancore, Kashmir, Junagath and
Hyderabad
 Integration of Princely States
• Separate department on 27th June 1947
• Under Vallabhai Patel with V.P. Menon as his
Secretary
• “to allow the Princes to retain their titles,
palaces, privy purses, immunity from arrest,
right to British decorations and quasi
diplomatic status”
Accession of Travancore, July 1947
• Rich in resources
• Maharaja’s desire
• Diwan C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer
• Diwan was assaulted
• Region was integrated
 Accession of Kashmir
• Largest Feudal State
• ¾ of the population was Muslim
• Maharaja Hari Singh of Dogra dynasty
• Maharaja’s stand – independence
• Stand still Agreement
• Willingness of Sheikh Abdulla
• A Tribal Invasion by Pakistan
• Kashmir’s accession and Sheikh Abdulla October
1947
 Accession of Junagath, February 1948
• Tiny princely state in Kathiawar peninsula
• Muslim Nawab in Hindu Majority state
• Loved his dogs than his subjects
• Declared the accession of his state of Pakistan
• People’s opposition
• Fled to Karachi, Pakistan
• Shah Nawaz Bhutto, the Diwan
• Patel sent troops
• Acceded with India in February 1948
 Accession of Hyderabad, Sept. 1948
• The Nizam of Hyderabd
• Desired independence
• Members of Hyderabad state congress
• The Razakars
• Muslim power in the Deccan
• 29 August 1947 issued a Firman
• Stand still agreement
• Violation of Agreement
• Police Action
• Operation Polo on 7th September 1948
• The Indian Army under the command of J.N. Choudhary
• Kasim Razvi was arrested
• M.A. Vellodi, a senior civil servent became chief minister
 Conclusion
• Complete integration
• Within a couple of years
• With amazing rapidity and success
• Integration of French and Portuguese
possessions
• Pondicherry in 1956
• Goa in 1962