142 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Proposed New States —contd.
Name of the State Area Population Language (in sq. miles) (in crores)
Madhya Pradesh .. .. .. 171,200 2.61 Hindi
Rajasthan .. .. .. 132,300 1.60 Rajasthani
Punjab .. .. .. 58,140 1.72 Punjabi
Uttar Pradesh .. .. .. 113,410 6.32 Hindi
Bihar .. .. .. 66,520 3.82 Hindi
West Bengal .. .. .. 34,590 2.65 Bengali
Assam .. .. .. 89,040 0.97 Assamese
Orissa .. .. .. 60,140 1.46 Oria
Jammu and Kashmir .. .. 92,780 0.14 Kashmiri
The important thing is to compare the size of the States—
Taking population as the measuring red the result may be presented as follows :
There are 8 States with a population between 1 and 2 crores each.
There are 4 States with a population between 2 and 4 crores.
There is one State above 4 crores.
There is one State above 6 crores.
The result, to say the least, is fantastic. The Commission evidently thinks that the size of a State is a matter of no consequence and that the equality in the size of the States constituting a Federation is a matter of no moment.
This is the first and the most terrible error which the Commission has committed. If not rectified in time, it will cost India a great deal.
CHAPTER 2
LINGUISM IN EXCELSIS
In the first chapter it has been pointed out that one result of the recommendations of the States Reorganization Commission is the disparity in the size of the different States the Commission has suggested for creation.
But there is another fault in the recommendations of the Commission which perhaps is hidden but which is nonetheless real.
It lies in not considering the North in relation to the South. This will be clear from the following table :
Southern States Central States Northern States* Name .. Population Name Population Name .. Population (in crores) (in crores) (in crores) Madras .. 3.00 Maharashtra 3.31 Uttar .. 6.32 Pradesh Kerala .. 1.36 Gujarat 1.13 Bihar .. 3.85 Karnataka .. 1.90 Saurashtra 0.4 Madhya .. 2.61 Pradesh Andhra .. 1.09 Kutch 0.5 Rajasthan .. 1.60 Hyderabad .. 1.13 Punjab .. 1.72
- I have included certain centrally situated States because by language they are affiliated to one another.