Marathi Nationalism - Movement For Maharashtra State

Movement For Maharashtra State

After the Independence of India in 1947, regional administrative divisions from the colonial era were gradually changed and states following linguistic borders were created. The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 created states along linguistic lines. States of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala were created on 1 November 1956 for Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam languages respectively. However, despite being the fourth largest spoken language in India, no Marathi-speaking state was created. Bombay Presidency remained a bi-lingual state shared by Marathis and Gujaratis. Marathi-speaking population remained divided between the Bombay Presidency and regions of Hyderabad State. Moreover, the Marathi-majority district of Belgaum was removed from Bombay Presidency and added to the newly formed Kannada-speaking state of Karnataka, which remains a disputed issue till date.

A massive popular struggle was launched for the creation of a state for the Marathi-speaking people under the name Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti (roughly translated as United Maharashtra Committee). The Gujarati politicians of Bombay Presidency demanded that in case of a separation, the city of Bombay (now Mumbai), a Marathi-majority area and the economic capital of India, should be transferred to Gujarat. In January 1960, a peaceful demonstration of the Samiti was fired by the police at Flora Fountain in Mumbai, on the order of the Gurarati Chief Minister of Bombay Presidency, Morarji Desai. 105 people were killed in the firing. This subsequently led to the division of the presidency into two linguistic states, and two states of Gujarat and Maharashtra were formed on 1 May 1960. Bombay (now Mumbai) was included in Maharashtra and became the state capital. In addition, Marathi-speaking regions of Hyderabad State were amalgamated with Maharashtra, making it the third largest state in India. Flora Fountain was subsequently renamed Hutatma Chowk or "Martyr's Crossroads" in the memory of the demonstrators who were killed.

However, Goa (then a Portuguese colony), Belgaum, Karwar and adjoining areas, which were also part of the Maharashtra envisaged by the Samiti, were not included in Maharashtra state. Inclusion of Belgaum into Maharashtra remains an unresolved dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka.