Which among the following statements are correct regarding the reorganisation of states in India on the linguistic principle?
(A) Andhra became the first state to be formed on linguistic principle in 1952.
(B) The States Reorganisation Commission was appointed in 1953.
(C) The States Reorganisation Act passed in 1956, led to the creation of 12 states and 7 union territories.
(D) An experiment was tried with ‘bilingual’ Bombay state, consisting of Gujarati and Marathi-speaking people.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (A), (B) and (D) only
(A) Andhra became the first state to be formed on linguistic principle in 1952. Correct. After Potti Sriramulu’s death, the Prime Minister announced a separate Andhra state in December 1952.
(B) The States Reorganisation Commission was appointed in 1953. Correct. The struggles that followed the formation of Andhra forced the Centre to appoint it.
(C) The States Reorganisation Act passed in 1956, led to the creation of 12 states and 7 union territories. Incorrect. The Act of 1956 led to the creation of 14 states and six union territories.
(D) An experiment was tried with ‘bilingual’ Bombay state, consisting of Gujarati and Marathi-speaking people. Correct. After a popular agitation, Maharashtra and Gujarat were created out of it in 1960.
NCERT (2025-26): “Reorganisation of States … The movement gathered momentum as a result of the Central government’s vacillation. Potti Sriramulu, a Congress leader and a veteran Gandhian, went on an indefinite fast that led to his death after 56 days. This caused great unrest and resulted in violent outbursts in Andhra region. People in large numbers took to the streets. Many were injured or lost their lives in police firing. In Madras, several legislators resigned their seats in protest. Finally, the Prime Minister announced the formation of a separate Andhra state in December 1952. Reorganisation of States … The formation of Andhra spurred the struggle for making of other states on linguistic lines in other parts of the country. These struggles forced the Central Government into appointing a States Reorganisation Commission in 1953 to look into the question of redrawing of the boundaries of states. 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.”
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