Question

Describe any three circumstances under which the State Reorganisation Commission was constituted.

Hint:

The demand for linguistic states grew after the Andhra agitation. The Commission was set up in 1953 to redraw state boundaries.

Answer 1

Step 1: Understanding the question:
The States Reorganisation Commission was appointed by the Government of India in December 1953. It was headed by Fazl Ali.
We have to give three circumstances (situations) that forced the Government to set it up. Each circumstance carries 2 marks.

Step 2: Circumstance 1: Demand for linguistic states:
After independence, state boundaries were mostly those drawn by the British. Many people felt that states should be formed on the basis of language.
Leaders of the national movement had themselves promised this, but after Partition the Government feared that such a step might threaten unity.

Step 3: Circumstance 2: Agitation in Andhra:
The Telugu-speaking people of the old Madras state demanded a separate Andhra state.
Potti Sriramulu, a Gandhian leader, went on a fast unto death and died after 56 days in 1952. This caused violent protests, and the Government created Andhra state in 1953.

Step 4: Circumstance 3: Similar demands elsewhere:
The creation of Andhra encouraged other language groups. They also started agitations for their own states.
To meet these demands in a planned way, the Government set up the Commission in 1953 to examine the question of redrawing the boundaries of the states.

Final Answer:
Three circumstances were: the demand for linguistic states, the Andhra agitation and the death of Potti Sriramulu, and similar demands from other regions. The Commission report led to the States Reorganisation Act of 1956.