The six states that were opposed to joining India

When the British Crown took the principled decision to leave India, one of the main questions at that time was what would happen to the 584 states and princely states of India, which had pledged their allegiance to the Crown in every hour of need.

This loyalty was established at every level from military support to financial support, so the kings, maharajas of these routes believed that the British crown would protect their interests at all costs, but when two and a half weeks before the declaration of independence 26 In July, Lord Mountbatten convened the Durbar of the Nawabs and Maharajas of the states and stated his blunt position that no state would be given independent status but would have to choose between Pakistan and India. No clear policy was given in this regard due to which many states remained in dilemma until the end.

From the very beginning, the Congress had a clear stand on the matter that all the states were an integral part of India and would not be separated under any circumstances. In this context, the Congress also formed a negotiating team with independent states under the leadership of Sardar Patel and VP Menon, which also had the clear support of Lord Mountbatten.

Bikaner, Baroda and some other states of Rajasthan initially announced their accession to India, but there were many states that did not want to join India. Some of them wanted to be recognized as independent while others wanted to join Pakistan.

Travancore

Travancore, the southern coastal state of India, was the first state to refuse to join India. The state was not only strategically important but also rich in mineral resources.

Its Diwan Sir CP Ramam Swame Iyar, who was also a prominent lawyer, had already declared the independence of his state in 1946, which had the support of the Quaid-e-Azam and to some extent the British as well. The state was rich in the mineral monazite, which could be used in the production of nuclear weapons.

Dewan stood his ground until July 1947, but an assassination attempt was made by a Kerala Socialist Party worker, after which Dewan announced his accession to India. Trancore’s territory in present-day India now includes Kerala, Kanyakumari and Tamil Nadu.

Jodhpur

The case of Jodhpur, the largest Rajputana state among the Rajasthani states, is also of a strange nature. Covering 93,424 square kilometers, the history of the state goes back to 1226. The king of the state was a Hindu and the majority here also belonged to Hinduism, but the king’s tendency was towards Pakistan.

Maharaja Hanwant Singh believed that since his state bordered Pakistan, it would be more beneficial for him to join Pakistan. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had also assured him of all possible support, on which at one time he was even ready to come to Karachi. As soon as Sardar Patel came to know of this, he dissuaded the Maharaja from becoming a part of a Muslim country and informed him of the potential dangers, which led to the Maharaja abandoning his intention to go to Karachi and join Pakistan and sign papers to join India. Signed.

Bhopal

Bhopal, India’s second largest state in terms of area, also wanted independence. The majority of the state was Hindu but its Nawab Hamidullah Khan was a Muslim. Nawab was among the top leaders of the Muslim League and he also participated in the Round Table Conference in London. When he saw that the borders of his state did not meet with Pakistan, he demanded from Mountbatten that the state should be given independent status. After the partition, a war broke out in the state between the freedom fighters and the supporters of accession to India, but on 30 April 1949, the Nawab signed the document of accession to India.

Hyderabad

Being the largest in India by area, Hyderabad was the most important state with a majority Hindu population. However, Nizam Usman Ali Khan asked Britain to include them as an independent state in the Commonwealth, to which Lord Mountbatten said that Britain was not willing, so you should have one of the two new states. One has to choose.

The Nizam had the support of Quaid-e-Azam as he had promised to defend the oldest Muslim state, but Patel argued that Hyderabad’s independent status would be like a boil in India’s stomach.

As soon as Lord Mountbatten resigned in June 1948, the Congress government decided to take decisive action. India sent its troops to the state in September 1948 under ‘Operation Polo’. After a four-day war, Indian forces captured the state and Nizam was made the governor of the state in return. In present-day India, this state has been divided into three parts and its three provinces include Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Junagadh

Like Hyderabad, Junagadh also did not decide to join India till August 15. Junagadh was the most important state in Kathiawar. Where Nawab Muhammad Mohabbat Khan III was the ruler of a Hindu majority state. In early 1947, Diwan of Junagadh Nabi Bakhsh invited Muslim League chief Shahnawaz Bhutto to take over as Council Minister of the state. In the absence of the Diwan, Bhutto took over as Diwan and urged the Nawab to join Pakistan. When Pakistan accepted Nawab’s request to join Pakistan, Indian leaders called the decision against Jinnah’s two-nation theory. On which the situation in the state worsened. Nawab went to Karachi. Sardar Patel demanded a referendum in the state and also sent troops.

Kashmir

Kashmir had a majority of Muslims while its Maharaja Hari Singh was a Sikh, so he knew that if he joined India, the Muslims would revolt. This is what happened in the rebellion against the Maharaja, two lakh people were killed, the Maharaja asked for military assistance from India and said that when the war is over, there will be a referendum after that, in which there will be no independence but the state will be divided between Pakistan and India. One has to choose one.

When a ceasefire was reached on January 1, 1949 due to the United Nations intervention in Kashmir, since then no referendum could be held there. Four wars have been fought between Pakistan and India due to this issue. The Kashmir issue has become a nuclear flash point on the world map. It is also surprising that Kashmir was not given to Pakistan under the same formula under which Junagadh was given to India.