Integration of the Princely States
About 560 princely states were integrated into India in 1947 to 1949 through the efforts of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and V.P. Menon, by accession, merger and, in a few cases, police action.
The task
At independence, there were over 560 princely states (about 40 per cent of the area and a quarter of the population). The Indian Independence Act ended British paramountcy, so each state became technically free to join India or Pakistan.
The method
- A new States Department under Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (Deputy Prime Minister), with V.P. Menon as Secretary, was set up in June 1947.
- Patel and Menon appealed to the princes' patriotism and gave them the option to join through the Instrument of Accession, covering three subjects: defence, external affairs and communications, with a Standstill Agreement for the interim. Later states merged with neighbouring provinces or formed unions, and princes were given privy purses (abolished in 1971, 26th Amendment).
- By 15 August 1947 all but three (Junagadh, Hyderabad and J&K) had acceded.
The difficult cases
| State | What happened |
|---|---|
| Junagadh (Gujarat) | The Muslim Nawab acceded to Pakistan (September 1947), though most people were Hindu. After an uprising and the Nawab's flight, India took over (November 1947), and a plebiscite (February 1948) approved the merger. |
| Hyderabad | The Nizam wanted independence. After a Standstill Agreement (November 1947), the Razakars terrorised the people. Operation Polo (13 to 18 September 1948), the police action, led to its accession. |
| Jammu and Kashmir | Acceded on 26 October 1947 after the tribal invasion. |
| Others | Travancore and Bhopal first hesitated; Jodhpur and others were persuaded. Manipur merged in 1949. |
Later integration
- Sikkim became a state in 1975; French Pondicherry (de facto 1954, de jure 1962); Portuguese Goa, Daman and Diu by military action in December 1961 (Operation Vijay).
Keep practising
Notes are only half the work. Test yourself with questions and discuss doubts with other aspirants.
Prepared for exam revision from standard sources such as NCERT, Bipan Chandra, Spectrum and official records. Historians differ on some dates, figures and interpretations, so check your exam syllabus and a standard textbook. Found a mistake? Tell us.