Standstill Agreement
Topic: Challenges of Nation Building: Partition, Princely States and Reorganisation · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 1 "Challenges of Nation Building"
Meaning
A Standstill Agreement was a temporary deal between a princely state and the new dominion of India. It kept existing arrangements, such as customs, posts and railways, running while talks on the state's future went on. It did not make the state part of India. It only kept things as they were for the time being.
Example
The Nizam of Hyderabad wanted his state to be independent. In November 1947 he signed a one-year Standstill Agreement with India. Talks failed, and the Razakars attacked people. The Indian army then carried out Operation Polo (13-18 September 1948), and Hyderabad acceded to India.
Don't confuse with
- Instrument of Accession: by signing this, the ruler actually joined India, usually handing over defence, external affairs and communications. A Standstill Agreement only paused the situation.
- Merger agreement: this was the second stage, when acceded states were merged into provinces or into unions under Rajpramukhs.