Vishalandhra Movement:
The decision of the national leadership to postpone linguistic reorganization was met with opposition from local leaders and the people.
Protests erupted in the Telugu-speaking areas of the old Madras province, encompassing present-day Tamil Nadu, parts of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Karnataka.
The movement, known as the Vishalandhra movement, called for the separation of Telugu-speaking areas from the Madras province and the establishment of a separate Andhra province.
Various political forces in the Andhra region supported the demand for the linguistic reorganization of the Madras province.
The movement gained momentum due to the indecisiveness of the Central government.
Potti Sriramulu, a Congress leader and Gandhian, initiated an indefinite fast in support of the demand, which tragically led to his death after 56 days.
Sriramulu’s death caused widespread unrest and violent outbursts in the Andhra region, with people taking to the streets in large numbers.
In Madras, several legislators resigned in protest against the government's inaction.
Eventually, in December 1952, the Prime Minister announced the formation of a separate Andhra state in response to the growing agitation.
On 1 October 1953, 11 districts in the Telugu-speaking portion of Madras State became the new Andhra State with Kurnool as the capital. |
