160 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
For the present, from the point of view of area and population there is nothing to complain against the three divisions.
From the earliest times they have always been spoken of as Trai Maharashtras.
The division does no wrong to the language principle. In fact if all the three Maharashtras have the same language it can help to develop the Marathi language if it is worth their while to do so.
The question of viability I will consider later on. I propose to deal with it separately in a special chapter.
Bombay was then unknown. Otherwise it would have been the fourth part of Maharashtra.
Of the remaining three parts what I call Eastern Maharashtra is already a separate State. All that required is that it should be allowed to remain separate. It has got a well-established administration system, a wellestablished revenue system and a well-established judicial system. It has been separated from the trammels of the Hindi-speaking people.
The only problem that remains is how to divide the area covered by the Maharashtra which is part of the present Bombay State and the Marathwada of the Hyderabad State.
Instead of forming a merger of the two into one and joining it to the third which I call Eastern Maharashtra, why not divide the Maharashtra part of Bombay and Marathwada into two equal States ? This is my scheme. I transfer six districts of Maharashtra part of the Bombay State and make them part of Marathwada. ( See Map No. 5). The distribution of the area and population of the three Maharashtras are shown below :
The Population Area and Revenue of the Three Maharashtra States will be approximately as follows
Total Total Revenue Expenditure
Total Name of State Population (in crores)
Total Area (in sq. miles)
WESTERN MAHARASHTRA 1,26,77,316 30,028 26,24,20,441 not known CENTRAL MAHARASHTRA 1,24,09,044 55,482 21,63,80,095 not known EASTERN MAHARASHTRA 80,27,130 39,004 9,41,11,012 not known Total .. 3,31,13,490 1,24,514 57,29,11,548
I will now proceed to state my reasons in support of my plan.
I have said that Maharashtra has always been divided into three. This is a historical argument. It at least shows that the tradition, the way of life and the social and economic condition of what is called United Maharashtra is not one. Those who are in a hurry to have United Maharashtra