The integration of Princely States in India after independence involved which one of the following?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Maharaja of Manipur signed the Instrument of Accession with the Indian government on assurance of internal autonomy.
Option (1) The issue of Hyderabad was resolved after a plebiscite confirmed people’s desire to join India. Incorrect. The plebiscite settled the issue of Junagarh, not Hyderabad.
Option (2) Razakars, a para-military force, was unleashed on the people of Junagarh. Incorrect. The Nizam of Hyderabad unleashed the Razakars on the people of Hyderabad State.
Option (3) Maharaja of Manipur signed the Instrument of Accession with the Indian government on assurance of internal autonomy. Correct. Maharaja Bodhachandra Singh signed it a few days before Independence, on the assurance that Manipur’s internal autonomy would be maintained.
Option (4) Mahatma Gandhi played a historic role in negotiating with the rulers of princely states. Incorrect. It was Sardar Patel, the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, who played this historic role.
NCERT (2025-26): “Government’s approach … Sardar Patel was India’s Deputy Prime Minister and the Home Minister during the crucial period immediately following Independence. He played a historic role in negotiating with the rulers of princely states firmly but diplomatically and bringing most of them into the Indian Union.… Government’s approach … Accession of the Princely States of Junagadh, Hyderabad, Kashmir and Manipur proved more difficult than the rest. The issue of Junagarh was resolved after a plebiscite confirmed people’s desire to join India.… Hyderabad … In the meantime, a movement of the people of Hyderabad State against the Nizam’s rule gathered force. The peasantry in the Telangana region in particular, was the victim of Nizam’s oppressive rule and rose against him. Women who had seen the worst of this oppression joined the movement in large numbers. Hyderabad town was the nerve centre of this movement. The Communists and the Hyderabad Congress were in the forefront of the movement. The Nizam responded by unleashing a para-military force known as the Razakars on the people.… Manipur … A few days before Independence, the Maharaja of Manipur, Bodhachandra Singh, signed the Instrument of Accession with the Indian government on the assurance that the internal autonomy of Manipur would be maintained.…” |