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Consider the following statements about the Linguistic Reorganization of the States : 1. Gandhiji, in 1948, had argued for the reorganization of provinces on a linguistic basis 2. The Constituent Assembly recommended it to be incorporated in the Constitution of India Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct: Mahatma Gandhi was a long-standing advocate for the reorganization of provinces on a linguistic basis. Even in early 1948, he argued that such a redistribution was necessary to ensure that administration and education were conducted in the language of the people, thereby making democracy more inclusive. This principle had been part of the Congress agenda since the Nagpur Session of 1920.
Statement 2 is incorrect: The Constituent Assembly did not recommend linguistic reorganization for the Constitution. Due to concerns over national security and unity following Partition, the S.K. Dhar Commission (1948), appointed by the President of the Constituent Assembly, recommended against linguistic provinces, prioritizing administrative convenience. Similarly, the JVP Committee (Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, and Pattabhi Sitaramayya) initially rejected the idea. The original 1950 Constitution classified states into Parts A, B, C, and D based on their political status, not language.