Formation of the Vellodi Government
Following the integration of Hyderabad into the Indian Union, civil administration was established under M.K. Vellodi, who served as the Chief Minister (Civil Administrator) from January 1, 1950, to December 31, 1952. His council of ministers included M. Sheshadri, C.V.S. Rao, Nawab Jain Yarjung, Burgula Rama Krishna Rao, Poolchand Premchand Gandhi, Vinayaka Rao Koratkar, and V.B. Raju. Additionally, notable leaders like Ramananda Thirtha, Marri Chenna Reddy, and Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy were nominated to the Indian Parliament.
Despite this transition, the Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, retained the position of Raj Pramukh (constitutional head). Under a February 1949 agreement, the Indian government granted him a lifelong honorary pension of ₹50 lakh, which was exempt from income tax. The government also agreed to pay ₹1.5 crore annually for the maintenance of his family, palaces, and staff, along with income from Sarfekhas lands occupied by the government.
Major Administrative Changes Under Vellodi
The Vellodi administration introduced significant changes, primarily focusing on governance, language policies, and land administration. According to the Sunderlal Committee report, M.K. Vellodi replaced General J.N. Chaudhary as the administrator of Hyderabad.
The Indian representative at the United Nations Organization (UNO), Ramaswamy Mudaliar, declared that Hyderabad was under civil administration, reducing the Nizam’s powers to a mere constitutional head. Burgula Rama Krishna Rao also affirmed that Hyderabad Dominion no longer existed, urging the UNO to dismiss discussions regarding Hyderabad’s independence.
Language and Employment Policies
A major shift occurred in the official language policy. Urdu, which was the state language under the Nizam, was replaced by Telugu and English. This benefited Andhra people from the Madras Province, who were proficient in Telugu, over Telangana locals, who primarily spoke Urdu. The change in language policy created an imbalance in government employment opportunities, disproportionately favoring Andhra officials.
In the educational sector, Telugu was introduced as the primary language in schools, leading to preferential recruitment of Andhra teachers over local Telangana candidates. This further marginalized Telangana natives in government positions.
Manipulation of Land Records and Exploitation of Farmers
One of the most controversial policies under Vellodi’s administration was the translation of land records from Urdu to English. This process was riddled with irregularities, leading to the loss of land ownership for Telangana farmers. Many records were either misinterpreted or destroyed, enabling large-scale land encroachment by powerful individuals.
Dominance of Andhra Officials and Bureaucratic Corruption
The Vellodi government dismissed Telangana district collectors and replaced them with Andhra bureaucrats, appointing them as Chief Administrators. A notable example was Ramachandra Rao, a Tahsildar from Krishna District, who was appointed as Chief Administrator of Hyderabad District.
This led to rampant nepotism, where Andhra officials appointed their relatives to key government posts, fueling corruption and administrative bias. Telangana employees faced discrimination, and their exclusion from government services led to widespread resentment. When Padmaja Naidu raised these concerns in Parliament, she faced resistance from Congress leadership, including Sardar Patel, reflecting the central government’s apathy towards Telangana’s grievances.
Reforms in Police and Military Services
The Hyderabad Armed Forces were significantly downsized from 17,870 to 10,415 personnel, and non-Muslims were prioritized in recruitment. This marked a shift from the Muslim-dominated administration under the Nizam.
To facilitate government job recruitment, three Regional Employment Exchanges were set up in Hyderabad, Warangal, and Aurangabad. However, these exchanges overwhelmingly favored Andhra candidates, further marginalizing Telangana locals.
Rise of the Mulki Movement
The exclusion of Telangana natives from administration and government jobs led to widespread dissatisfaction, eventually igniting the Mulki Movement. Telangana employees were treated as inferiors, while Andhra officials viewed themselves as reformers, worsening regional tensions.
By February 1952, general elections were held, marking the end of the Vellodi administration and the formation of the first elected government under Burgula Rama Krishna Rao.
Q. Discuss the employment policies of Military Rule and Vellodi administration in Hyderabad State from 1948 to 1952.
| Why was this question asked? | Keywords in the syllabus: Employment Policies under Military Rule and Vellodi,1948-1952. |
| Approach:
|
The examiner will expect your answer to include the following things:
· Employment policies adopted by the administrations in Hyderabad immediately after police action. · Explain the pros and cons of those policies with respect to then Hyderabad state. |
| Introduction:
|
From Nizam’s surrender on 17 September 1948 to the formation of Burgula Ramakrishna Rao government in 1952, Hyderabad state witnessed a lot of upheaval due to social, economic, and political conditions. The employment policies under J.N. Chaudhari’s military rule and Vellodi’s administration is one such reason for that upheaval. |
| Body:
|
Employment policies:
· Representation of all social groups: Armed forces from neighbouring states like composite Madras, Central provinces, and Bombay were brought to balance the social composition of state civil services and police services. · Emphasis on Telugu language in state administration: As majority of the people in Hyderabad state spoke in Telugu, the government appointed certain people to give importance to Telugu instead of Urdu. · Special drive for recruiting certain administrative personnel: To abolish the Jagirdari system and bring land holding patterns under Revenue administration, a new form of administrative personnel was required. Hence, special drives were held. · 200 officials of Indian Civil Services were appointed: To bring stability in governments’ economic conditions and to achieve normal economic functioning, Indian Civil Service officials were required. · Reinstated some removed employees: Based on the recommendation of an official of public service commission headed by M.A. Rahaman. Earlier, during the rule of Nizam, many employees involved in corruption and misuse of power were removed from the service. · Reforms in Police Department and Military services: Armed forces in Hyderabad reduced from 17,870 to 10,415. While recruiting employees non-Muslims were also given importance. · Regional Employment Exchanges setup: One at Hyderabad and the other two at Warangal and Aurangabad. These exchanges undertook recruitment to medium level and lower-level posts. |
| Conclusion:
|
Though there were efforts to create employment in the state, many challenges were created. Hundreds of employees came from neighbouring places of Madras and Andhra, who took away the jobs of the locals. The non-locals appointed their own people in the name of scarcity of technical experts, acquired valuable assets and started dominating the local people. The violation of Mulki rules continued even after the introduction of these policies. |
