Challenges of Nation-Building Test - 1

Amrita Pritam (1919–2005): A prominent Punjabi poet and fiction writer. Recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award, Padma Shree and Jnanapeeth Award. After Partition she made Delhi her second home. She was active in writing and editing ‘Nagmani’ a Punjabi monthly magazine till her last.

The interim government formed under the cabinet mission plan was headed by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru.

There are many regions in the country where there are movements demanding separate and smaller states. These include Telangana in Andhra Pradesh, Vidarbha in Maharashtra, Harit Pradesh in the western region of Uttar Pradesh and the northern region of West Bengal.

The challenge was to draw the internal boundaries of the Indian states. This was not just a matter of administrative divisions.  The boundaries had to be drawn in a way so that the linguistic and cultural plurality of the country could be reflected without affecting the unity of the nation.

The Commission in its report accepted that the boundaries of the state should reflect the boundaries of different languages. On the basis of its report, the States reorganisation Act was passed in 1956. This led to the creation of 14 states and six union territories.

In 1947, during the partition of India, the last Babi dynasty ruler of the state, Muhammad Mahabat Khanji III, decided to accede to the Dominion of Pakistan but Junagarh was annexed by India which was followed by a plebiscite in which the locals voted to stay with India.

The partition was based on religious lines and did not involve any plan regarding the transfer of population. The political boundaries that were drawn left people on both sides of the border undecided as to which side they belonged. It brought about massive migration and the exodus of people from both sides. The partition itself was a colossal task. It was not that only new boundaries had to be laid out; it brought about a mass transfer of population from both sides. Partition brought about the most tragic and abrupt transfer of population. Lakhs of Hindus and Sikhs, in the areas that were to be a part of Pakistan, and Muslims in Punjab, Calcutta, Delhi, and other areas found themselves trapped and were compelled to leave their ancestral homes.

Sardar Vallabhai Patel served as the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India from 1947 to 1950, with a deep commitment to national integration which earned him the sobriquet of Iron Man of India.

The first and the immediate challenge was to shape a nation that was united, yet accommodative of the diversity in our society. 

There were many problems that arose immediately post-partition of India. Some of them was the relocation of such a huge population, the immigration of mass refugees from east and west Pakistan and the problem of tackling protection to minorities due to ongoing communal violence across borders.