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Home , Bellary district, Karnataka, Kolar district, Mysore, Mysore (region), Mysore State

THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY October 22, 1955

Views on States Reorganisation - / and

K N Subrahmanya

THE recommendation of the States 4 the South Kanara district except will show vision and broadminded- Reorganisation Commission to taluk; ness in dealing with the form a Karnataka State bring­ 5 the taluk of the Coim- population of the area in question ing together predominantly ­ batore district of Madras; and will provide for adequate educa­ nada-speaking areas presently scat­ 6 Coorg. tional facilities for them and also tered over five States has been ensure that they are not discriminat­ generally welcomed by a large sec­ The State thus formed will have ed against in the matter of recruit­ tion of Kannadigas who had a a population of 19 million and an ment to services." How far this genuine, long-standing complaint area of 72,730 square miles. paternal advice will be heeded re­ that their economic and cultural pro­ Criticism of the recommendations of mains to be seen. In this connection, gress was hampered owing to their the Commission, so far as it relates one fails to appreciate the attempt of numerical inferiority in the States to Karnataka State, falls into two the Commission to link up the dominated by other linguistic groups. categories. Firstly, there are those question with that of . In There is a feeling of satisfaction who welcome the suggestion to form treating Kolar as a bargaining coun­ among the Kannadigas over the a Karnataka State but complain that ter, the Commission has thrown to Commission's approach to the ques­ the Commission has excluded certain winds the principles that they had tion of the formation of a Karoatal.a areas, which on a purely linguistic set before them. The Commission State, although there is room for basis, should be included in the pro­ easily dismisses the question by say­ differences of opinion on question posed Karnataka State. And second­ ing: "The retention of of minor detail. Barring these ly there are those who, for some in­ in the Karnataka State and the ad­ minor differences, it must be said to explicable reason, oppose the forma­ dition of the major part of the credit of the Commission that it tion of a single State comprising all district to it will, in our opinion, be was moved by a genuine desire to the major Kannada-speaking areas. more advantageous to the new State help the creation of a homogeneous, They put forth the plea that the mer­ than the continuance in it of the east­ viable State having vast potentiali- ger of a progressive area like Mysore ern portion of the ." ties for expansion. with the rest of the Kannada-speak­ There is a growing feeling among Nevertheless, to an outsider un­ ing areas, which, they argue, is back­ Kannadigas in Bellary that the Com­ familiar with the currents and cross­ ward, would place an unnecessary mission has succumbed to the pres­ currents of opinion inside the Kan- strain on the resources of Mysore. sure tactics of a handful of business nada-speaking areas, the discordant Loyalty to their is also tycoons of Andhra who have stakes voices now being heard in responsi­ put forward as an argument against in the . In view of the ble quarters give the impression that effacing from the future fact that even some of the outstand­ there is no unanimity of opinion map of . For sentimental rea­ ing recommendations of the Com­ among Kannadigas even on the sons, some of them, at any rate, do mission are going to be changed, in major issue of a United Karnataka. not view with favour the suggestion all likelihood, to satisfy the interests Puerile and inconsequential as these to abolish the institution of ­ affected, one hopes even now that hallucinations are, an appreciation of pramukh. suitable readjustments along the the motives behind these vain out­ The Commission's recommenda­ Andhra-Karnataka border will be bursts is worthwhile. In the course tion on the Bellary district and Kasa­ made before the reorganisation of of this article, an attempt is made ragod taluk has caused disappoint­ the States finally takes place. to interpret the under-currents of ment among Kannadigas. So far as Another recommendation which has opinion in Karnataka against the Bellary is concerned, it was already aroused Kannadigas' protest is the background of the Commission's re­ a closed issue, having been joined to inclusion of Kasaragod taluk in the commendations. Mysore State on the basis of Shri proposed State. Kannadigas The Commission has recommended Justice Misra's award. Indeed, the concede the claim of Kerala up to the the formation of a Karnataka State process of integration with the neigh­ river, but oppose the pro­ consisting of the following areas; bouring Kannada-speaking area of posal to exclude the entire taluk from 1 The present Mysore State exclud­ Mysore was so smooth that the re­ the proposed Karnataka State. ing the following portions of Bellary commendation of the States Reorga­ district as now constituted, namely, nisation Commission to transfer the Two Karnatakas the Slraguppa taluk, the Bellary entire area back again to Andhra Since the publication of the report taluk, the taluk and a small came as a rude shock to Kannadigas of the Commission, a section of the area of the Mallapuram sub-taluk in there. The interests of Kannadigas people in Mysore State have voiced which the dam and headworks of the in Bellary would be gravely affected their opinion against the formation Tungabhadra Project are situated. if it was appended to of a single State of Karnataka. Fis- 2 the four Kannada-speaking dis­ and it would be a prolific source of siparous tendencies have become ap­ tricts of the southern division of perpetual conflict between Karnataka parent even inside the Mysore Cabi­ Bombay, namely, Belgaum except and Andhra. That the Commission net, which so far, had maintained a taluk, , Dharwar is keenly aware of it will be evident sphinx-like silence behind a facade and North Kanara; from its advice to the Andhras: "We of unity. The facade has now been trust that the Andhra Government 3 the districts of and Gul- pulled down and three ministers have and the leaders of the Andhra State barga; come out with a categorical state- 1253 October 22,1955 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY

ment opposing the formation of a scales against the . Over ed this as an argument against the single State of Karnataka by join­ and above this is the fear of the poli­ formation of a Karnataka State. ing the Mysore State with the other tical leaders of Mysore that they Further, the creation of a Karnataka areas. Curiously enough, the Chief would suffer a political eclipse in the State will enable the speedy develop­ Minister, who had consistently tak­ new State. The Commission has dis­ ment of the Malnad area now distri­ en a favourable stand on the forma­ missed these arguments by stating buted over many States. When the tion of a United Karnataka, now that in the perspective of the political entire Malnad area, so rich i natural seems to be vacillating on the brink and economic development of the resources, comes under one adminis­ of a cabinet crisis. The dissident Karnataka State, the importance of tration, it is reasonable to expect that ministers, in their statement, said: narrow communal jealousies should there would be greater scope for de­ ''The States Reorganisation Com­ not be exaggerated. velopment through proper, compre­ mission's proposals for Mysore deny As public opinion in favour of a hensive planning. Far from being a to Mysore what has been conceded United Karnataka is overwhelming­ drag on the resources of the area by them to and Vldar- ly strong and persistent, it seems now c o m p r i s i n g Mysore State bha. These two new States with likely that the reactionary pseudo- northern Karnataka will contribute lesser population than Mysore have royalist movement will fizzle out in in a large measure, to the balanced emerged and taken shape in the course of time. As for the economic growth of the Karnataka State. picture of future India. But prospects of the Karnataka State, With the completion of the Tunga- Mysore, which has been assi­ the Commission has estimated that bhadra, Upper , , Gha- duously built by its great rulers in the initial stages, it will have to taprabha and Malaprabha projects, for decades, has been effaced from run a deficit of over one and a half the Karnataka State will have in­ the all-India map ... The people crores of rupees. This is accounted creased irrigational facilities and the of Mysore are demanding that the for by the heavy burden of servicing recurrent food deficits in the area Kannada area should be divided into the public debt the new Government now constituting Mysore State will two States: 1. Mysore with Kannada has to bear on account of the Tunga- be eliminated. areas lying in the east and west of bhadra and other projects. When Of course, the new State will have It; and 2. the kannada areas lying the projects are completed and when to bear the additional burden of to the north of Mysore." the initial period of transition is gone levelling up the pay scales but this It is difficult to establish a direct through, this deficit is expected to will indirectly foster contentment and casual connection between this new decrease to manageable proportions. a better standard of administration movement in favour of two Karna- The Commission has rightly dismiss­ in the long run. takas and the fear of some of the major communities in Mysore State that in the future set-up, they would be reduced to pitiful minorities. Nevertheless, the motive force behind this reactionary movement seems to be the communal groups who have now a major voice in the political affairs of the Mysore State but are likely to lose their importance in the future Karnataka State. The Com­ mission has referred to this problem in its report. It states that "there has grown up in the last two or three years opposition to the unification of Mysore with other Karnataka areas." Quite apart from the fear that the inclusion of relatively under-develop­ ed areas in the financially stable Mysore would lead to huge budget deficits, there is the fear among the community that they would lose their importance in the Karnataka State. Considering that the movement is of very recent ori­ gin, it does not seem to have any sizable following in the countryside. It is argued, however, on their be­ half, that the Vokkaligas who now constitute about 29 per cent in Mysore State, would be reduced to about 14 per cent in the proposed Karnataka State. On the other hand, the Lingayats, who form a pre­ dominant section of the Bombay Kar­ nataka, will, in the future set-up, constitute about 20 per cent of the total population, thus tilting the