THE ACHIEVEMENT OF PUNJABI SUBA 1947-1966

Abstract

This thesis deals with the demand for a Punjabi-speaking state made by the Shiromani Akali Dal, a communal Sikh political organisation. The dissertation aims at showing that. the quest for Punjabi Suba was an attempt by the Akali Del to create a Sikh majority area under the guise of a linguistic province. In this process it was aided by the particul0r historical evolution of the Sikhs as a religious community and the Akali Dal deliberately exploited the symbols of Sikh nationalism to secure support for its Suba demand. In this respect the control of Sikh temples by Akalis facilitated the propagation of Akali propaganda. The various tactics resorted to by the Akalis have been dealt with in some detail and reasons for their relative successes and failures enumerated. Inevitably, therefore, some insight has been given into the nature of Akali leadership and the various divisions within Akali ranks. It was in 1966 that the Indian Government created a Punjabi-speaking province. This was largely the result of changes in the leadership of both the Akali Dal and the Congress as well as the occurrence of the Indo-Pakistani conflict of 1965. The issue of Punjabi Suba was, however, not completely solved till 1970 when Chandigarh was awarded to the Punjab. While concerned largely with the Akalis, the thesis also deals with the question of states reorganisation as espoused by the Indian National Congress, its opposition to the Suba, the methods used by the Congress to contain the Akali movement and the effects of the Suba issue on the Congress. The Suba was also opposed by various Hindu groups 9 prominent among which w .s the Jan Sangh. The rationale of this opposition and its influences on the course of the movement are given some attention. The issue of Punjabi Suba was easily the most important feature of the politics of the Punjab in the post-1947 period. Its study is significant in that it enables the study of regionalism arid communalism in North West India while also giving some insight into the processes of modernisation and political change within the Sikh community.