INTEGRATION OF PRINCELY STATES The announcement that India and Pakistan would be free was made on 3 June 1947. The princely states were given the choice of joining either of the new states. Under the pressure of the popular states’ people’s movements and guided by the masterful diplomacy of Sardar Patel, the Home Minister, ably assisted by V.P. Menon, the Secretary of Home Affairs, most of them acceded to India. Some enlightened rulers, like the maharaja of Patiala, who was the secretary of chamber of princess realised the necessity of merging their states with the Indian union. In other cases, firmness and ruthlessness and Patel’s diplomacy succeeded in bringing the 554 and odd. Princely states into the Indian union. Writing about the integration of princely states, Percival spear says “at times it was ruthless; but the whole process was made palatable and almost agreeable by the suave skill of the state’s department secretary, V.P.Menon. He was the velvet glove on the mailed fist. He could explain the pleasures of integration so convincingly that in the end, apart from Kashmir, only the state of Hyderabad presented states was the desire of the people of these states to pool in their lot with the Indian people”. Even before independence in 1947, special ministry to deal with the principalities was set up. It was headed by Sardar vallabhai Patel, the home minister. In a series of negotiations between Sardar Patel and the princes, a formula for incorporating the princely states into the Indian union was evolved. Many of the rulers concerned signed an instrument of accession to the Indian dominion before the Independence Day. In accordance with these treaties, the princess retained their rights to all their estates, both perpetrated, before the instrument of accession was signed. They were also granted state pensions. Civil servants from the princely states were also given certain guarantees, like secure employment, pension etc,. Of course, some rulers did not sign the instrument of accession immediately. But, Sardar Patel and V.P. Menon made it clear that “Indian cannot afford to be generous at the cost of its integrity”. This firmness, along with the clear-cut position adopted by the Indian government on the subject integration and the anti-feudal movements that were taking shape in some of the princely states(like Hyderabad, Orissa, Bhopal, Travancore and Kashmir) obliged the rulers to hurry and sign the instrument of accession. Thus, during the period of 1947-1949, about 554 princely states joined India and the remainder became a part of Pakistan. This process of integration into the Indian union proceeded smoothly on the whole, except in the case of Junagadh, Hyderabad and Kashmir. 26.11.1 JUNAGADH Junagadh, a state on the south-western end of Gujarat, consisted of the principalities of Manavadar, Mangrol and Babriawad. The Arabian Sea stood between it and Pakistan, and over 80% of its population professed Hinduism. .It had many Hindu and Jain shrines, including the famous Jagannath temple. Its Muslim ruler was an eccentric man who had once organised the wedding of his two pet dogs. Although Junagadhs interest were interwoven with those of the Indian union. The nawab declared that he intended to join Pakistan. This decision of the Nawab led to serious unrest in Junagadh. The Indian government was compelled to send troops into the princely state in February, 1948 and hold a plebiscite. The vast majority of the voters came out in favour of integration with India, and the ruler of Junagadh fled to Pakistan. 26.11.2 HYDERABAD 26.11.2.2 SOCIO-ECONOMIC POLITICAL CONDITIONS Hyderabad was the largest princely state in the British Raj. Hyderabad state was located in the South-Central Indian Subcontinent from 1724 until 1948, ruled by a hereditary Nizam who was Muslim. The Nizam was among the richest men the world. The socio-economic conditions prevalent in Hyderabad which includes Telangana under Nizams rule were pathetic. The social system was no different from the feudal system of medieval Europe. The landlords were called as ‘Deshmukhs’ who held hundreds of acres under their sway. The poor ryots tilled the lands as bonded labour. The ryots who followed money from landlords had to render free service to their lords. The jagir system came into existence under asaf jahi rule. Land was mostly in the hands of deshmukhs, jagirdars and native princess who harassed the people in a despotic way. Landless poor constituted majority section in telangana. Ryots were reduced to abject poverty, slavery and the people who resisted were mercilessly killed. The rule of Nizam was despotic and his officers also behaved in the same way. People were awarded punishments without trial. Fundamental religious organisations and Razakars subjected to people to inhuman treatment. The socio-economic and political conditions prevalent in the telangana area under Nizams rule led to the armed struggle in that area in the 20th century. The credit of carrying out armed struggle goes to the communists led by Puchalapalli Sundarayya, Ravi Narayana Reddy, Chandra Rajeshwara rao and Baddam Ella Reddy. Telengana between July 1946 and October 1951 saw the biggest peasant guerrilla war so far of modern Indian history, affecting at its height about 3000 villages spread over 16,000 square miles and with a population of three million. The main objectives of armed struggle were to liberate the telangana area from the despotic rule of the nizam, to provide protection to the people from the exploitation of feudal lords and to acquire ownership rights over the land to the people to secure livelihood for them. The armed struggle though violence won the appreciation of the public. By 1945 the Telangana people were politically awakened and start resisting the exploitation of landlords. In fact the armed struggle started with Palakurthi incident of Jangaon taluka. The villagers revolted against their Deshmukh, Visunuri Ramachandra Reddy when his goondas attacked the villagers.th beginning of the uprising is traditionally dated from 4th july 1946, when thugs employed by the Deshmukh of Vishnur (one of the biggist and most oppressive of Telengana landlords, with 40,000 acres) in Jangaon taluka of Nalagonda murdered a village militant, Doddi Komarayya, who had been trying to defend a poor washer- women’s mite land. In due course this struggle developed into a people’s movement. Initially starting with protecting the crops of the ryots launched land grabbling movement and distributing the same to poor ryots. This movement spread like a wildfire engulfing the talukas of suryapet, bhongir, huzurnagar. The efforts of government to suppress the movement ruthlessly failed. In the armed many participants lost their lives. The sacrifices made by the participants are ever remembered. By November 1946 communist party was banned in telangana and the armed struggle was stopped due to repressive activities of the government. The armed struggle was revived by the communist party in September 1947 to resist the activities of razakars. Communist guerrilla squads were raised, who captured arms from police, razakars and distributed lands to the poor with the public support obtaining spontaneously. The armed struggle was a grand success. The incidents of Hamebad and Cheemarole villages were an indication of the intensity of public support to the armed struggle and it is not out of place to mention about the dare devil acts of comrade Erra Satyam in the movement. 26.11.2.2 ITTEHADUL MUSLIM ORGANISATION ANG RAZAKARS. Ittehadul Muslim organisation came into existence in 1927 to protest the interests of Muslims. It was inactive till 1938. In 1939-1940 Nawab Bahdur Yar jung became its president and started challenging the sovereignty of Nizam. Initially the Nizam also welcomed and encouraged the organisation. Bahadur Yar Jung was stated to have been responsible for 1, 80,000 Harijans into Islam. The organisation was opposed to army reforms that paved the way for democratic government. In due course of time Ittehadul Muslim Organisation decided to raise a corps of volunteers who came to be called as Razakars. The Razakars wore special uniform and weapons also. In 1946 Kasim Razvi became the president and the Razakar organisation became a privte military body. Razvi’s plan was to raise 5lakh volunteers. The combined armies of Nizam and Razakars resorted to arson and looting. In the beginning Nizam was under the impression that Razakar organisation was source of strength for him. The Razakars became highly aggressive. They resorted forcible extortion of money, rapes, and murders. Law and order broke down and life became miserable. The communists had to revive the armed struggle to resist the Razakars. Nizam became a silent spectator. The Nizam was reluctant to Join Indian Union. But the prevailing situation forced him to sign ‘Standstill Agreement’ with Indian Union in November 1947. But he carried on secret parleys with Pakistan. He tried to purchase arms of foreign countries directly Ordnance factories were also set up in Hyderabad. The representative of Ittehadul Muslim Organisation visited foreign countries to purchase aeroplanes and arms. Kasim Razvi became very aggressive plans to march to parliament in Delhi. He dared to declare “we will unfurl our flag on the Red Fort’”. The government of India was keenly watching the situation. It deputed K.M. Munshi for spot study. On the basis of report submitted by K.M. Munshi the Indian government passed orders for initiating ‘police action’ against Hyderabad. 26.11.2.3 Police Action On September 13, 1948 the Indian forces under ajor-general J.N. chaudary entered Hyderabad. The police action is described as ‘operation polo’. Nizam surrendered and ceasefire was agreed upon. Thus the police action resulted in the accession of Hyderabad to Indian union and the people of Hyderabad and telangana were freed from the menace of Razakars.