2nd Part Of 20th Century: Post-Colonial India (1947-64) (History _Chapter 8 ~ WBBSE Madhyamik Questions and Answers )

2nd Part Of 20th Century: Post-Colonial India (1947-64) (History _Chapter 8 ~ WBBSE Madhyamik Questions and Answers )

Very Short Answer Type:

Question 1. Which Department was formed to regroup the Native States?

Answer: The State Department.

Question 2. Who was called ‘The Iron Man of India’?

Answer: Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel.

Question 3. Who was the Viceroy of India when India got independence?

Answer: Lord Mountbatten.

Question 4. Name a few books which tell us about the plight of refugees who came to India after partition.

Answer: ‘Gandhiji in Noakhali’ by Manoranjan Chowdhury, ‘Jukto Bonger Smriti’ by Annadashankar Roy, ‘Deshbhag Deshtyag’ by Sandip Bandyopadhyay, etc.

Question 5. Who were the members of the J.V.P. Committee?

Answer: Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabh Bhai Patel and Pattabhi Sitaramaiah.

Question 6. Why was the State Reorganisation Commission formed?

Answer: It was formed to identify the state boundaries in the post-independence period.

Question 7. Which areas were joined together to form the state of Kerala?

Answer: Malabar, Travancore and Cochin.

Question 8. Which states formed the PEPSU?

Answer: Patiala and East Punjab States.

Question 9. How many recognised languages were there in the constitution till 1964?

Answer: 14 recognised languages.

Question 11. Which article of Indian Constitution gives special status to Kashmir?

Answer: Article 370.

Question 12. Which date is known as International Mother Tongue Day?

Answer: 21st February.

Question 13. Name the Operation taken up by Government to free Goa.

Answer: Operation Vijay.

Question 14. Who was the Commander of ‘Operation Vijay’?

Answer: Major J.N. Choudhury.

Question 15. When was Indian Independence Act passed?

Answer: 14th July 1947.

Question 16. When was Junagadh included in India?

Answer: February 1948.

Question 17. When was Hyderabad included in India?

Answer: 26th January 1950.

Question 18. When was State Department formed under Patel?

Answer: 1947.

Question 19. When did India become independent?

Answer: 15th August, 1947.

Question 20. When did Pakistan become independent?

Answer: 14th August, 1947.

Question 21. When did Andra Pradesh emerge as a State of India?

Answer: 1953.

Question 22. When was State Reorganisation Commission formed?

Answer: 1954.

Question 23. When was Andaman and Nicobar Islands declared as a Union Territory?

Answer: 1955.

Question 24. When was Goa included in India?

Answer: 1961.

Question 25. When was All Bengal League Council formed?

Answer: In 1948.

Question 26. Name the first state to be established as a linguistic state.

Answer: Andhra Pradesh.

Question 27. On what basis the states were proposed to be recognised?

Answer: Language basis.

2 Marks Questions And Answers:

Question 1. What were the observations of the States Reorganisation Commission?

Answer: The SRC had made four observations. The three-tier system of states (parts A, B and C) would be removed, the institution of ‘Rajpramukh’ and special agreement with the former princely states should be abolished; the general control vested in the Government of India by Article 371 will have to be removed and only Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Delhi and Manipur will remain Union Territories and other parts C and D territories will have to be merged with the adjoining states.

Question 2. What were the immediate problems of the influx of refugees from East Pakistan?

Answer: There was a huge pressure on the population of West Bengal, it was difficult to open so many relief camps and rehabilitate so many people, it was a daunting task to find proper livelihood and provide safety for so many refugees; there was massive food shortage which resulted in ‘Food Movement’ and there was also the problem of squatting and illegal occupation of land.

Question 3. Why did Shyamaprasad Mukhopadhyay form the party called ‘Janasangha’?

Answer: Shyamaprasad, who was a central minister, wanted to implement the policy of ‘exchange of people and property’ to solve the refugee problem, while Nehru vehemently opposed him. There was a great debate in the Lok Sabha. Shyamaprasad resigned from the post of the minister after seeing Nehru’s attitude and formed a new party named ‘Janasangha’.

Question 4. What do you understand by the ‘Nehru era’ and ‘Postcolonial Era’?

Answer: The post-colonial era, or the Nehru Era, began on 15th August 1947, the day India became independent. Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India from 1947 to 1964. independence came through riots, the partition of the country and the formation of Pakistan. Many a fault and defect of colonial days kept haunting the country even after independence. Pandit Nehru was at the centre of Indian politics and its Constitution till he died on 27th May 1964.

Question 5. How many Native States were there? What percentage of the total area of the country was it?

Answer: Before independence, there were 562 Native States in India. They constituted 48% of the total territory of the country.

Question 6. What announcement did Attlee make regarding the Native States?

Answer: British Prime Minister Clement Attlee made an announcement on 20th February 1947 that the Native States could maintain their sovereign status if they so wanted.

Question 7. Who is called the Iron Man of India and why?

Answer: Historians felt that Vallabh Bhai Patel was a successful statesman of the highest degree, even greater than Otto Von Bismark of Germany, and named him ‘The Iron Man of India’.

Question 8. What is Azad Kashmir?

Answer: Before independence, Kashmir was in India but the Pakistani raiders occupied l/3rd of the portion of Kashmir and called it ‘Azad Kashmir’.

Question 9. Who are refugees?

Answer: After the independence and partition of India in 1947, a huge humanity of homeless and destitute people had to leave East and West Pakistan in search of livelihood, food clothing-shelter and safety. Those people, who were compelled to leave their homeland and came to India like an avalanche, were called ‘Refugees’.

Question 10. What statement of Muhammad Ali Jinnah encouraged some of the rulers of the princely states to remain independent?

Answer: The princes of the native states also got encouragement from the open statement made by Muhammad Ali Jinnah. On 18 June 1947 he declared that ‘the States would be independent sovereign States on the termination of paramountcy’. The sly hint was that, should they so desire, the princely states could retain their independence.

Question 11. Why did the ruler of Kashmir appeal to India for military assistance?

Answer: Sometime in October 1947, Pathan tribesmen led unofficially by the Pakistan army invaded Kashmir and proceeded towards Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir. The Maharaja forthwith appealed to India for military assistance.

Question 12. What was the attitude of the Government of India regarding the rehabilitation of the refugees in West Bengal?

Answer: In the case of rehabilitating the refugees in West Bengal, a step-motherly attitude of the Government of India was noticeable. The refugees were shifted from the platforms of Sealdah station to hastily improvised government camps.

Question 13. When did British Parliament give assent to Indian Independence Act?

Answer: British Parliament gave assent to Indian Independence Act on 18th July 1947.

Question 14. When and under whose leadership was State Ministry formed?

Answer: On 5th July 1947, under the leadership of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, State Ministry was formed.

Question 15. Name the Princely States assembled in Pakistan.

Answer: Khairpur and Bahawalpur were assembled in Pakistan.

Question 16. Which treaties were concluded for assembling princely states into India?

Answer: The treaties concluded for assembling princely states into India were

1. Instrument of accession,

2. Stand still agreement.

Question 17. How many princely States were there in India before independence?

Answer: Before independence, there were 562 princely states in India.

Question 18. Who was the first Indian Governor-General of Independent India?

Answer: Chakravarti Rajagopalchari.

Question 19. Who helped Sardar Patel in assembling the Princely States into India?

Answer: Sardar Patel was helped by Lord Mountbatten, Secretary of State Ministry V.P. Menon and Maharaja Patiyala in assembling the Princely States into India.

Question 20. Which Princely States denied assembling into India?

Answer: Janugadh, Hyderabad and Jammu & Kashmir were the States which denied for assembly into India.

Question 21. When did Pakistan attack Kashmir?

Answer: Pakistan attacked Kashmir on 22nd October 1947.

Question 22. When did Maharaja Hari Singh ask for military help from India?

Answer: On 24th October 1947.

Question 23. When did the Nawab of Hyderabad sign over the Standstill Agreement?

Answer: November 1947.

Question 24. When did Hyderabad accede to Indian Union?

Answer: Indian military forces under the command of General J.N. Chaudhuri entered Hyderabad on 13 September (1949) and by 16th the Nizam surrendered. In November, the Nizam formally joined the Indian Union. This was how Hyderabad was annexed to India.

Question 25. Who resigned against Nehru-Liyaqat Treaty?

Answer: Bengali Cabinet Minister Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and K.C. Niyogi resigned from their posts against Nehru-Liyaqat Treaty.

Question 26. Name two books written by the Bengali writer Taslima Nasrin.

Answer: Two books written by the Bengali writer Taslima Nasrin are

1. Lajja

2. Dwikhandita.

Question 27. When was State Reorganisation Commission appointed?

Answer: State Reorganisation Committee was appointed in December 1953.

Question 28. When was State Reorganisation Bill passed?

Answer: State Reorganisation Bill was passed in November 1956.

Question 29. How many States and Territories emerged after the proposal of the State Reorganisation Commission?

Answer: 16 States & 3 Union Territories emerged after the proposal of the State Reorganisation Commission.

Question 30. How many States and Union Territories were emerged by the proposal of the State Reorganisation Bill?

Answer: 14 States & 6 Union Territories emerged after the proposal of the State Reorganisation Commission.

Question 31. Why was State Reorganisation Commission formed?

Answer: The States Reorganisation Commission (1953) was formed to identify the state boundaries in the post-independence (1947) period. All the Indian states were divided into four categories. There were 9 States in part A, 9 in part B, and 10 in part C and Andaman and Nicobar Islands were kept in part D. States Reorganisation Commission was needed to determine the boundaries of these states.

Question 32. How was Goa included in the territory of India?

Answer: The government of India started ‘Operation Vijay’ on 17-18 December 1961 to free Goa, under the command of Major J. N. Chowdhury, which ended on 19th December. The Indian Army freed Goa, Daman and Diu. In 1961 Goa was included within the territory of India and on 12th August 1987, it became the 25th state of India.

Question 33. Name some books in which the partition of India has been depicted.

Answer: The vivid picture of partition of India has been described in the books like ‘Tamas’ of Bhishma Sahni, ‘Train to Pakistan of Khshwant Singh, ‘Godan’ by Munshi Premchand, ‘Midnight Children’ by Salman Rushdie, ‘Andhra Manik’ of Mahasweta Devi, etc.

Question 34. What was the ‘Dhar Committee’?

Answer: The Constituent Assembly formed ‘The Linguistic Provincial Committee’ in 1948 under the leadership of Justice S. K. Dhar. It was known as ‘Dhar Committee’.

Question 35. What was mentioned in the ‘Nehru-Liakat Agreement’?

Answer: As per this agreement, the Muslims who had left West Bengal and Assam came back in droves. Along with them, Muslims from East Bengal also came to India.

Question 36. What was Sardar Patel’s dual policy of carrot & stick?

Answer: Sardar Patel followed the dual policy of carrot and stick,

1. First, he tried to convice the princes about the advantages they would derive being acceded to India.

2. In the cases where the appeal was not responded to, he did not hesitate to get those acceded through the application of force.

Question 37. State two proposals of the State Reorganisation Commission.

Answer: Of the proposals, two were found to be important. First was to reorganize the states on the basis of the languages of India. Thus, it was hoped, would make administration easier, and would replace the caste and religion-based identities. Second, it was also realized that states formed solely on the basis of linguistic considerations was not to the larger interests of the Indian nation.

Question 38. What is the present figure of States and Union Territories in India?

Answer: Presently the Indian Union consists of 29 States and 7 Union Territories.

Question 39. Name the languages presently mentioned in the eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

Answer: Presently, there are twenty-two languages referred to in the Eighth Schedule. The languages are:

1. Assamese,

2. Bengali,

3. Gujarati,

4. Hindi,

5. Kannad,

6. Kashmiri,

7. Malayalam,

8. Marathi,

9. Odia,

10. Punjabi,

11. Sanskrit,

12. Tamil,

13. Telegu,

14. Urdu,

15. Sindhi,

16. Konkani,

17. Manipuri,

18. Nepali,

19. Bodo,

20. Dogri,

21. Maithili and

22. Santhali.

4 Marks Questions And Answers:

Question 1. How did Andhra become the first linguistically reorganized state?

Answer:

Organisation of Andhra State: After the accession of the Princely States to India there was the question of their integration which proved to be a difficult task. The integration of the States, however, was effected swiftly by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. After the integration of the States, it was now imperative that the States be reorganized. For after the integration there was no uniformity among the States territory-wise, population-wise or on the basis of economic viability. On top of these, every unit became multi-lingual.

1. Proposal for the reorganization of States on the basis of uniformity was generally accepted. Yet the opinion in favour of the linguistic state.

2. A strong movement was launched in Andhra in favour of the separation of Andhra from the Madras Presidency. The movement was led by Patti Sriramalu, who was a great freedom fighter. He undertook fast into death over the demand for a separate Andhra State (province). After he expired while on fast for fifty-eight days the movement took a serious turn. Under the situation, the Telegu linguist area was separated from the Tamil-speaking area. Thus was born Andhra Pradesh (1957). At the same time, there emerged Tamil Nadu as a state of Tamil-speaking people.

Question 2. What were the languages in the Constitution until 1964?

Answer:

Languages in the Constitution until 1964: Until 1964 there were 14 recognised languages in the Constitution mentioned in Articles 344 (1) and 351 of the 8th Scheduled of the Indian Constitution. The Home Minister Lai Bahadur Shastri planned to do it. Those are:

(1) Assamese (Assam),

(2) Bengali (West Bengal, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar),

(3) Gujarati (Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu),

(4) Hindi (Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand),

(5) Kannada (Karnataka),

(6) Kashmiri, (Jammu and Kashmir),

(7) Malayalam (Kerala, Lakshadweep and Pondicherry),

(8) Marathi (Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu),

(9) Oriya (Orissa),

(10) Punjabi (Chandigarh, Haryana, Delhi and Punjab),

(11) Sanskrit (Uttarakhand),

(12) Tamil (Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar, Pondicherry),

(13) Telegu (Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Pondicherry),

(14) Urdu (Jammu and Kashmir,

Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar). At present, in the Constitution of Independent India, there are 22 recognised languages. These languages have been recognised in the eigth schedule of the Constitution of India. In 1950, while adopting the Constitution of India, these 14 languages were officially recognised. Hindi and English are recognised as official languages, but nowhere in the Constitution, the term ‘National Language7 has been used. In 1964 there was a demand to have only Hindi as the official language instead of English, but it was not accepted.

Question 3. Explain the Kashmir problem.

Answer:

Kashmir Issue:

1. Introduction: Kashmir, a state with an overwhelming majority of the Muslim population under the rule of a Hindu prince, was geographically beneficial to both India and Pakistan. The ruler of Kashmir, Hari Singh did not accede either to India or Pakistan. He was apprehensive of both democracy in India and communalism in Pakistan. He hoped to remain aloof from both and continue to exist as an independent ruler. The popular political forces led by the National Conference and its leader Skeikh Abdullah, however, wanted to join India. The Indian political leaders took no steps to obtain Kashmir’s accession. In line with their general approach, they wanted the people of Kashmir to decide, whether to link their fate with India or Pakistan. In this, they were supported by Gandhi, who declared in August 1947 that Kashmir was free to join either India or Pakistan in accordance with the will of the people.

2. Attack by Kashmir: But Pakistan not only refused to accept the principle of a plebiscite for deciding the issue of accession in the case of Junagadh or Hyderabad, in the case of Kashmir it tried to short-circuit the popular decision through a short-sighted action, forcing India to partially change its attitude in regard to Kashmir. On 22 October 1947, with the onset of winter, several Pathan tribesmen, led unofficially by Pakistani army officers, invaded Kashmir. They rapidly pushed towards Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir. The ill-trained army of the Maharaja failed miserably to counter the invading forces who overran Uri and Baramula and reached the vicinity of the capital.

3. Appeal to India for Help: In a panic, on 24 October 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh appealed to India for military assistance. Nehru, even at this stage did not favour accession without ascertaining the will of the people. But Mountbatten, the Governor General opined that under international law India could send its armed forces to Kashmir only after the State’s formal accession to India. Sheikh Abdullah and Sardar Patel too insisted on accession.

4. Accession to India: On 26th October 1947, Maharaja acceded to India and also agreed to instal Abdullah as the head of the state’s administration. Even though both the National Conference and the Maharaja wanted firm and permanent accession, India, in conformity with its democratic commitment and Mountbatten’s advice, announced that it would hold a referendum on the accession decision once peace and law and order had been restored in the valley.

Question 4. Give an account of the inclusion of Hyderabad and Junagadh within India.

Answer:

Inclusion of Hyderabad and Junagarh:

1. Junagadh: Junagadh was an important State in the group of the Kathiawar States. It was bounded by other Indian States except for the South and South-West where the Arabian Sea lies. The State had no geographical continuity with Pakistan. The Muslim Nawab of Junagadh wanted to accede to Pakistan, but his Hindu subjects compelled him to hand over the State to the Government of India. Its merger in the Indian Union was ratified by a plesbiscite. In 1948, the Nawab of Junagadh fled to Pakistan and thus Junagadh was incorporated into India.

2. Hyderabad: Geographically, Hyderabad occupied a pivotal position in the heart of India. The State was surrounded by the Central Provinces in the North, Bombay in the West and Madras in the East and the South. Its population was nearly 60 million and the annual revenue was Rs. 26 crores. Its area was more than 82000 square miles. It had its own coinage, paper currency and stamps. Although the Hindus formed more than 85 percent of the total population of Hyderabad, their representation in the Civil Services and the army was practically nil and the Government machinery was a monopoly of the Muslims. In the State of Hyderabad, the ruler Nizam wanted to maintain his independent identity.

The Hindus of Hyderabad revolted against the Nizam. Internal anarchy in the State of Hyderabad made it necessary for the Government of India to take military occupation of it in September 1948. The Nizam formally acceded to India in November 1949. The State was formally incorporated into the Indian Union on 25 January 1950. The administrative re-organisation of 1956 saw the trifurcation of the State and incorporation into the three neighbouring states of Andhra, Mysore and Bombay.

Question 5. What controversies arose regarding the solution of the refugee problem?

Answer:

Refugee Problem: Nehru had told Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy that it was wrong on part of the Hindus to leave East Bengal. According to him, rehabilitation would not solve the problem. Many people, for the sake of argument, said that Nehru did not have the guts to solve the refugee problem properly. He could have told that unless the minority community was allowed to live in East Bengal, there would be war. Moreover, he did not address the problem of East Pakistan in the same way as he did for West Pakistan. Dr. Roy, in a letter to Nehru, expressed his resentment at Nehru’s indifference to the refugee problem of East Bengal and the meagre help that was meted out. The reply which came from Nehru clearly showed his apathy towards the refugees in West Bengal.

Before partition, Congress leaders like Nehru and Gandhi had promised asylum to the refugees if they could not be ensured safety in their own country. However, later on, they completely denied having promised that. Nehru himself said, “Do not come to this country. There will be a disaster if you come and I will not be able to do anything”. If people imposed themselves, they would be identified as ‘foreign guests’ or ‘illegal infiltrators’. So, it would be better to stay back in East Bengal with other Hindu people living there. Sir Jadunath Sarkar, President of a conference of East Bengal refugees at University Institute Hall, said in his speech — “Add this new and dynamic branch to the old and dying tree of the refugees. You will be able to stand up with renewed vigour and prosperity….this will be good for you….merge the populace. Otherwise, you will be doomed and the future of your children will also be bleak.” Sir Jadunath had foreseen something which Nehru did not see or perhaps did not want to see.

Question 6. How was partition depicted in autobiographies and memories?

Answer:

Partition Depicted in Autobiographies and Memoirs: We know the pathetic story of the partition of India from several autobiographical books like ‘Swaralipi’ of Sabitri Roy, ‘Epar Ganga Opar Ganga’ of Jyotirmoyi Devi, ‘Marginal Man’ of Prafulla Chakraborty, ‘Pitamahi’ of Santa Sen, ‘Chere Asha Gram’ of Dakshina Ranjan Basu, etc. Ritu Menon’s ‘Borders and Boundaries: How Women Experienced the Partition of India’, Choudhury Khalikuzzaman’s ‘Pathway to Pakistan, Manik Bandyopadhyay’s ‘SwadhinatarSwad’, Selina Hossam’s ‘Japita Jiban’, Abu Issac’s ‘Suryadighal Ban’, Kaliprasad Mukherjee’s ‘Sikarer Sandhane’, and the novels ‘Nilkantha Pakhir Khonje’ of Atin Bandyopadhyay, ‘Bipasha’ of Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay, ‘Ardhek Jiban’ of Sunil Gangopadhyay, ‘Agun Pakhi’ of Azizul Haque and ‘Forgotten Atrocities’ of B. K. Gupta. From some autobiographical books and memoirs like ‘Supunboner Sari’ of Sankha Ghosh, ‘Keyapatar Nouka’ of Prafulla Roy, and essays of Santa Sen, we know the picture of the post-partition of India.

Annadashankar Roy, in his book ‘Jukto Banger Smriti’ or Memories of Undivided Bengal, said, ‘Provincial Government was like the beginning of another Muslim rule’. Sandip Bandyopadhyay wrote in his book ‘Deshbhag Deshtyag’ or Partition and Leaving the Country that after partition 90 Sikh women, led by a single Sikh lady, committed suicide by jumping into a well, to save themselves from being murdered or raped. Raja Singh killed 25 young girls, along with his own daughter, in order to save their honour. Punjab and Rawalpindi resembled living hell after partition. We come to know about post-partition riots, murders, torture of women and sorry tales of the refugees from the memories of Kalidas Nag. Books such as ‘Dhakar Chithi’ or Letters from Dhaka by Saralananda Sen, ‘Udbastu’ or Refugees by Hiranmoy Bandyopadhyay, ‘And the Uprooted’ the book written by Kanti Pakrashi, etc. bring out the emotional history of that time in front of the present generation. The vivid picture of partition of India has been described in books like ‘Tamas’ of Bhishma Sahni, ‘Train to Pakistan of Khushwant Singh, ‘Godan’ of Munshi Premchand, ‘Midnight Children’ of Salman Rushdie, ‘Andhra Mani’ of Mahasweta Devi, etc.

Question 7. Write a note on the accession of Junagadh into India.

Answer:

Junagadh:

1. Introduction: Junagadh, a state on the southwestern 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. Possibly on the advice of his Dewan, Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto, prominent in the Muslim League, the Nawab of Junagadh Mahabhat Khan acceded to Pakistan.

2. Announcement of Accession: They announced the accession on August 15, 1947, when Pakistan had come into being. When Pakistan confirmed the acceptance of the accession in September the Government of India expressed outrage that Muhammad Ali Jinnah would accept the accession of Junagadh despite his argument that Hindus and Muslims could not live as one nation. Patel believed that if Junagadh joined Pakistan, the communal tension already simmering in Gujarat would exacerbate.

3. Plebiscite: Patel gave Pakistan time to void the accession and hold a plebiscite in Junagadh. Samaldas Gandhi formed a democratic government-in exile, the Aarzi Hukumat (in Urdu : Aarzi: Temporary, Hukumat: Government) of the people of Junagadh. Eventually, Patel ordered the forcible annexation of Junagadh’s three principalities. Junagadh’s court, facing financial collapse and no possibility of resisting Indian forces, first invited the Aarzi Hukumat, and later the Government of India to accept the reins. A plebiscite was convened in December, with approximately 99 of the people choosing India over Pakistan.

Movements Organized By Women, Students, And Marginal People In 20th Century India: Characteristics And Analyses (History _Chapter 7~ WBBSE Questions and Answers )