India is a nation with rich linguistic diversity. Each language has a separate set of art and culture. They also have separate customs and traditions. Moreover, children get educated in these languages to gain knowledge in the schools. Education in mother tongue is crucial for achieving 100% literacy. It leads to overall fulfilment of human life.
Various International conventions also call for their protection. The freedom to express ourselves through language is a fundamental human right. But globalization has made our multiple languages vulnerable; migration and trade do not recognize these languages.
After Independence, the government was reluctant to divide the country on the linguistic lines because the country had experienced painful partition on the basis of religion. People were divided on the basis of language. It was the largest, most unexpected, unexpected, and tragic transfer of people based on religion. The violence went out of control with tit-for-tat crimes largely because members of the armed forces had also become radicalized. Families in India and Pakistan lost their properties, assets, some even lost children, parents everything. The partition in 1947 between India and Pakistan had killed millions of people. It feared that further division of the country on linguistic lines could disrupt its unity and integrity. The Government led by Jawaharlal Nehru felt that it was required for the country to remain strong and to reject any force which could disturb the peace and unity of the country.
When the demand for the formation of States on the basis of language was raised, some national leaders feared that it would lead to the disintegration of the country. Complaints about shortage of teachers and lack of training facilities continue to be received from linguistic minorities from various States. Regionalism, communalism, and terrorism are serious threats to the National unity of India.
The government finally formed a commission in 1948 under Justice SK Dhar, an Allahabad High Court judge, to address the need for linguistic division of states. However, the committee did not agree with this basis for the re-structuring of states, and would rather do so for administrative convenience. Let us appreciate that reorganization of more than 500 princely states into effective provincial units was one of the biggest tasks. The credit goes to Vallabhai Patel.
Later in 1948 ‘JVP’ committee was organized on the initials of the three leaders who headed the Committee. They were Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhai Patel and Pattabhisitaramayya to discuss the linguistic states. This committee scrutinised the recommendation of SK Dhar committee recommendation and submitted a report in the month of April 1949. According to this committee also reorganisation of states on the basis of language was not good for the country’s future. Thus, this committee also rejected the proposal of reorganisation of state on the basis of language. The committee gave importance to unity of nation and economic prosperity. This committee also recommended that formation of new provinces should be delayed by which various emerging issues could be resolved.
In 1956, State Reorganisation Commission’s (SRC) recommended the linguistic reorganisation of 14 States and six Centrally-administered territories were partially completed with several other states to be reorganised later on.
Since then, reorganisation of states has been an unfinished task as outcome of linguistic reorganisation has not been quite positive in the long run. It has resulted in unequal sizes of jurisdiction. The differences are visible in States like UP and North Eastern states. This has led to imperfect resource distribution. With few states reaping attention, while few states experiencing negligence.
According to the Census of India of 2001, India has 122 major languages and 1599 other languages and dialects. Satisfying linguistic goals of all groups is rather impossible. For example: demand for redistribution of boundaries of Maharashtra and Karnataka based on language is still unresolved. Belagavi issue has created political tussle between Karnataka and Maharashtra. Belagavi is an area in Karnataka, which has a sizeable Marathi-speaking population and has been at the heart of a six-decade-old border row between Karnataka and Maharashtra whose final order from Supreme Court is still awaited.
Linguistically divided states have fuelled regionalism. As a result, India is still a nation in making and its subnational feelings are given precedence over Indian unity and integrity. Recent creation of new states like Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand are based on developmental needs, where it was found that states, even after having enough resources, could not grow like the rest of its parent state.
The regional growth in India has been polarised. Some states such as Maharashtra, Gujrat and Tamilnadu are characterised by a high-income people and states such as Bihar, Odisha, and Chattisghar are occupied by low-income people. The worry is that the composition of rich and developed vs poor and under-developed states has remained largely unchanged over the last many decades.
Conclusion
In the light of the above discussion, it is concluded that India due to its multi-cultural and linguistic diversity cannot ever satisfy all linguistic groups. This has triggered immense regional and political confrontations for past seven and half decade.
As of October 2021, there have been 105 amendments to the Constitution of India since it was first enacted in 1950. The Eighth Schedule to the Constitution consists of the following 22 languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Santhali, Maithili and Dogri.
Linguistic division of state has created increasing regionalization and narrow-mindedness among the citizens. The people of different linguistic groups who are concentrated in a state seem to think only in terms of interests of their own state. This weakens consideration of larger national issues and causes provincial feelings.
Myopic interests of certain groups demand for a separate state on linguistic lines creates problems for the concerned state as well as the centre which can disseminate separatism and threaten national integration.
We need to redraw the future map of India urgently based on rational criteria to create equal opportunity for all states to develop. Measures such as boosting manufacturing, sustainable urbanization, better and decent living standards, education for masses, decent medical facilities, decent infrastructure and most importantly empowering women to unlock their potential are some criteria we need to work on. Linguistic divisions of states have eroded the National Feeling. Afterall, the sovereignty of the country comes above all.
