Samyukta Maharashtra movement
Topic: Challenges of Nation Building: Partition, Princely States and Reorganisation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Samyukta Maharashtra movement ("united Maharashtra") was a popular campaign in the 1950s. It demanded a state for Marathi speakers, with Bombay city as its capital. The States Reorganisation Act 1956 had created one bilingual (two-language) Bombay state for both Marathi and Gujarati speakers. This movement opposed that arrangement. It shows that public protest could make the Centre change state borders.
Example
This movement and the Mahagujarat movement of Gujarati speakers, led by Indulal Yagnik, together broke up bilingual Bombay. Parliament then passed the Bombay Reorganisation Act 1960. On 1 May 1960 it created two states: Maharashtra, which got Bombay city, and Gujarat.
Don't confuse with
- Mahagujarat movement: the parallel campaign for a separate Gujarati-speaking state. Samyukta Maharashtra was the campaign for the Marathi state and for Bombay city.
Related concepts
- Bombay Reorganisation Act 1960
- Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966
- North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act 1971