With the formation of Andhra state, the demand for the formation of states on a linguistic basis increased across the country, including South India.

• At the same time, in many parts of India, like Gujaratis, Punjabis, Marathas, Malayalis, kannadis demanded the formation of separate linguistic states.
• With this the central government decided that the reorganization of states should be done on a permanent basis and thought to study the demands for the formation of states on linguistic basis.
• On 22nd December, 1953, Prime Minister Nehru announced that the State Reorganization Commission would be set up soon in Parliament.
• The Central Government set up the State reorganization Commission under the leadership of Syed Fazal Ali on 29th December, 1953 by resolution of the Home Department.
• President of the commission – Syed Fazal Ali (Orissa governor)
• Members of the commission –

1. Hridaynath (H.N) Kunjru (Member of the Council of States)
2. Kavalam Madhav (K.M) Panikkar (Indian Ambassador in Egypt)

• The Home department said that the Indian government is going to appoint an SRC to examine the issue of reorganization of states in the Indian Union and beyond the emotions, Welfare of the people should be kept in mind.
• The SRC Commission has toured to many parts of the country and has come to know the opinions of various groups and organizations.
• SRC visited Hyderabad in 1954.
• When the commission visited Hyderabad in June and July of 1954, K.V.Ranga Reddy and Marri Chennareddy appealed in favor of separate Telangana.
• Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, Swamy Ramananda Tirtha and others appealed in favour of Vishalandhra.
• On this occasion, Swami Ramananda Tirtha gave the slogan “Dismantle the Hyderabad Empire and clean up the traces of royalty”
• Students of Karimnagar demanded for a Telangana state when SRC visited Karimnagar district in July, 1954. When the commission reached Warangal, on behalf of Telangana writers association Kaloji Narayanarao gave a representation wishing for Vishalandhra.
• Warangal congress leader N.Ramchandra Reddy requested SRC for a separate Telangana and Hayagrivachari and Dr. T. Suryanarayana requested for Vishalandhra.
• Osmania University students gave a representation to SRC requesting for a separate Telangana. Jayashankar was one among the OU representative team.
• On behalf of teacher’s association Thota Anandarao met SRC and appealed for separate Telangana.
• The Vishalandhra (including Hyderabad state’s Telangana districts and Andhra state) state proposal was well-received after the appoint- ment of SRC for reorganization of states.

SRC Report:

• On 30th September, 1955 Fazal Ali submitted his report to the central government.
• On 10th October, 1955 the central government presented the SRC report before parliament,
• On 31st August, 1956, the President approved the SRC bill.
• In the SRC report Hyderabad state was mentioned in 5th Chapter and Andhra state in Sixth Chapter.
• In the SRC report, from the para number 359 to 368 was discussed in relation to the partition of the state of Hyderabad and from 369 to 389 discussed Vishalandhra and Telangana state’s arguments in detail.
• Along with Hyderabad (Telangana) and Vidharbha SRC recommended 16 states and 3 Union Territories.
• Since the public opinion was strong to divide the Hyderabad state inside as well as outside the state, SRC recommended the partition of Hyderabad state.
• In addition, it also recommended the merging of Kannada areas with Mysore state and Maratha areas with Bombay state. But when coming to the Telugu region Telangana, the Commission did not recommend this.
• In regard to the establishment of the Vishalandhra state, SRC first described the advantages with the formation of Vishalandhra and later explained the losses and finally gave its opinion.

The views expressed by the SRC report:

1. To divide Hyderabad state into 3 parts on a linguistic basis and merge Telangana region with Andhra state to form Vishaandhra.

2. To divide Hyderabad state and form a separate Telangana state with its 10 districts.

3. To keep the Hyderabad state as it is.

Positive arguments for the formation of Vishalandhra by SRC:

(From paragraph 369-374 of the report)

• SRC stated that if Vishalandhra is formed with the merging of Telangana and Andhra state, it will become a coastal state with thirty-two million people and the most important land with vast water resources, power, mineral and important raw materials. Above all the twin cities, Hyderabad and Secunderabad will suit best as capital for Vishalandhra and with this the capital problem will be solved for Andhra state.
• Another benefit of Vishnalandra is that the rivers of Krishna and Godavari fall under the same control. Thus, the Krishna – Godavari Rivers Scheme will be considered as the most prestigious project. By eliminating the jurisdiction of the Telangana region, there is a larger scope for the implementation of schemes in the eastern areas of the two river basins. Telangana also receives many direct and indirect benefits by being a part of Vishalandhra.
• Telangana economic integration with Andhra state is also very profitable. Telangana has been suffering from a shortage of foodgrains for a long time. Andhra state is very surplus in this regard, so Telangana can use it. Similarly, Andhra region is in shortage of coal and necessary reserves can be taken from Telangana Singareni. This is beneficial for the two regions. SRC mentioned that Telangana is able to make a huge amount of money for general administration if it is not established as a separate state.
• Vishalandhra sentiment is worthy of consideration unless there is a strong reason to the contrary, as many people and public bodies in Andhra and Telangana region were emotionally attached from a very long period.

SRC’s arguments in favor of separate Telangana (from paragraph 375–380 of the report):

• SRC stated that as there are favorable reasons for the formation of vishalandhra, there are reasonable concerns for the formation of separate Telangana which cannot be denied easily.
• The Andhra state is facing many financial difficulties since its formation and its per capita income is very less compared to Telangana. On the other hand, Telangana has fewer chances to face economic problems because of high income comes through land taxes and 5 crore excise income annually which makes a lot of difference between the two states.
• Whatever it may be, Telangana leaders feared that with the merging, Telangana money will be transferred to Andhra region and Telangana will fall under shortage of money for welfare schemes and development programs as Andhra is facing now. From an administrative point of view, uniting with Andhra has no additional benefits for Telangana.
• There are also doubts about the importance of Telangana in Vishalandhra in the future development plans. For example, the Nandikonda, Kustapuram and Godavari projects are very important for Telangana and India. It is planned to bring the waters of the two rivers in use to the delta region of coastal Andhra. So, Telangana is not ready to give up its independent rights on the Krishna and Godavari river waters.
• Telangana people are afraid of losing their opportunities to coastal Andhra people as they are well developed in education compared to Telangana and this insecurity feeling is the main reason to oppose the formation of Vishalandhra. Telangana people feared that merging with Andhra would provide immediate benefits to Andhra people who are ahead in education and Andhra, a big partner in Andhra- Telangana partnership will extract all the benefits in less time and Telangana would turn into a migratory home for Andhra businessmen.
• There is a sense of becoming self-sufficient in the minds of the region of Telangana. According to the current statistics, the income of Telangana region is Rs 17 crore and the interest paid on them can be spent on Krishna, Godavari projects and there are many ways to increase its income, so the committee said there is no need to worry about Telangana economic conditions.
• Telangana and Hyderabad have benefited greatly from the implementation of the finance Commission’s recommendations of April 1952. There is no reason to worry about the financial position of Telangana as the central government’s current policy is likely to increase central income tax and central excise income.
• SRC said that if Telangana wants to merge in Vishalandhra, then the Andhra leadership has the responsibility to come up with some special guarantees to protect the interests of the Telangana region.
• It is felt that these protections are similar to the Sreebhag Agreement between the Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra. Committee said that there is a necessity to come up with promises for Telangana development schemes, job creation etc . based on population ratio.
• SRC explaining the above said proposals said that using Sribagh treaty type guarantees or Scottish devolution constitutional practices of the United Kingdom won’t help in meeting the needs of Telangana which is in transformation phase.

After considering all the above factors, SRC proposed the following:

• Keeping in mind the interests of both the regions, SRC finally decided to make the present Telangana region as a separate state. It can be named as Hyderabad state. If two-thirds of the members who won the general elections for the remaining Hyderabad state in 1961 agree to a merge with Andhra, then the merging can be considered. If that does not happen, Telangana will continue as a separate state.
• The advantage of the above arrangement is that the two governments will stabilize their governance in the next five years if anyone won’t obstruct the process of unification of Andhra. If possible, they can review their land revenue system.
• This transition period can be helpful in overcoming the fear of merging. It is time for the consensus to be achieved between the two states.
• The common interests of the people of Andhra and Telangana will result in reconciliation between the two regions. Telangana will remain as a separate state if the Public Opinion Telangana isagainstunificationand if there is no favorable atmosphere for the merger of the two regions.
• SRC mentioned that the Hyderabad state will be formed with Mahboobnagar, Nalgonda, Warangal (along with Khammam), Karimnagar, Adilabad, Nizamabad, Hyderabad, Medak, Bidar along with Munagala Paragana in the present Krishna district of Andhra.
• SRC recommended the formation of states on linguistic basis.
  
  Q. Analyze the considerations and conclusions of the States Re-organisation Commission (SRC) in recommending a separate Telangana State in 1955
  

  Introduction	The States Reorganisation Commission (SRC), established in 1953 under the leadership of Fazal Ali, played a pivotal role in redrawing India’s state boundaries based on linguistic and cultural considerations. In 1955, the SRC made a crucial recommendation – the creation of a separate Telangana state.
  Body	The SRC’s recommendations regarding Telangana in 1955 were particularly influenced by a comprehensive evaluation of socio-economic and administrative factors prevalent in the region. ·         Economic Considerations: Telangana, at the time of the SRC’s evaluation, was economically more prosperous compared to the Andhra region, primarily due to its robust revenue from excise and land. The region generated about Rs. 5 crores annually, which significantly contributed to its financial stability. There was a prevailing concern among the Telangana populace that merging with the financially weaker Andhra state could lead to economic hardships and misallocation of their resources to cover the deficits of Andhra. ·         Educational and Employment Concerns: The educational levels in Telangana, except for Hyderabad, were relatively low, which translated into reduced job competitiveness for its residents. The fear was that merging with the educationally advanced Andhra region would disadvantage Telangana locals in terms of employment opportunities, particularly in government jobs where educational qualifications were crucial. ·         Administrative Challenges: The SRC observed that Andhra, having recently separated from Madras State, was still grappling with numerous administrative and structural challenges. The commission expressed concerns that merging Telangana with Andhra could compound these challenges, leading to inefficiencies and adjustment issues that could stall the development processes in both regions. ·         Promises of Development and Legal Safeguards: The SRC suggested that for any potential merger, promises for the security and development of the Telangana region must be concretely assured, much like the “Sri Bagh Agreement” between the Sarkar and Rayalaseema districts. These promises needed to address developmental strategies, employment opportunities, and equitable resource distribution, ensuring that Telangana’s interests were safeguarded. ·         Final Recommendation: Based on these considerations, the SRC recommended that Telangana should remain a separate state unless a clear majority (two-thirds) in the Hyderabad legislature voted for a merger in future elections. This recommendation reflected a cautious approach, allowing for a possible future integration based on democratic consent and ensuring that both regions could potentially benefit from such a decision.
  Conclusion	The decision to create a separate Telangana state in 1955 highlights the complexities involved in state reorganisation based on language. While aiming for cultural homogeneity, it can inadvertently create new tensions.