25 | Kathiawar states & Junagarh merger into Saurashtra Union

The integration of princely states in the Kathiawar region in Gujarat, into the newly formed Indian Union was a complex process of negotiations, leading to the formation of the United State of Kathiawar, later known as Saurashtra. 

Before their integration, this region was a patchwork of territories, comprising a vast number of princely states and estates with varying degrees of sovereignty and jurisdiction. 

Kathiawar alone consisted of 222 former princely states and ‘estates’, some as small as 0.75 sq km, with their territories often interlaced or interspersed with those of Bombay and Baroda. The extreme fragmentation in these states led to significant administrative, economic, and security challenges (White Paper, 1950).

Driving factors for Integration:

The interspersed nature of territories made unified administration and economic development impossible, with numerous internal customs barriers hindering trade. With the British withdrawal, the princely states faced a void, losing the protection and political control previously exercised by the Crown. This left them vulnerable to internal unrest and external pressures. Additionally, there was rising national consciousness and the call for self-government in British India which naturally extended to the princely states, leading to popular agitations for responsible government and merger. The newly independent India sought to consolidate its territory and prevent Balkanisation, particularly with the threats posed by states like Junagadh acceding to Pakistan (Menon, 1956; Panikkar, 1986).

Negotiations and Resolutions: The complex process of integrating these numerous states was spearheaded by Sardar Patel, the then Minister of States and V. P. Menon, the Secretary of States Ministry. They adopted a pragmatic and often persuasive approach, combining assurances with firm deadlines and appeals to patriotic duty.

Integration With Kathiawar (Saurashtra) and Junagarh Crisis

Kathiawar was a ‘veritable jig-saw puzzle’ of territories, consisting of 14 salute states, 17 non-salute states, and 191 other smaller states, totaling 222 units. Some of these "estates" like Vejanoness were incredibly tiny, with some as small as 0.75 sq km, a population of 206, and an annual income of five hundred rupees. The map of Kathiawar was divided into about 860 different jurisdictions, with territories often scattered and interlaced. This fragmentation led to significant administrative and economic difficulties:

Poor Communications: Roads were often in primitive condition, varying greatly between states

Economic Barriers: Numerous internal customs barriers led to export and import duties at varying rates, encouraging smuggling and black market operations. The Virangam customs cordon, a system of excise duties imposed by the British government, was a major issue, costing several lakhs for its maintenance.

Law and Order: Offenders could easily escape justice by moving between states, greatly handicapping the administration of justice and maintenance of law and order.

Administrative Viability: Most smaller states lacked the resources for modern administration and were financially dependent on the Government of India.

Prior to independence, the British Political Department attempted to address fragmentation through the Attachment Scheme of 1943, which joined some smaller units to larger neighbouring states, covering an area of 7,000 square miles and a population of 800,000. However, this scheme provoked bitter opposition from the rulers of the smaller states and ended with the lapse of paramountcy in 1947. With the transfer of power, the situation became critical. Popular agitations for responsible government swept across Kathiawar, backed by the well-organized and disciplined Kathiawar Rajakeeya Parishad, which had the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel (Menon, 1956; Phadnis, 1968; Ramusack & Johnson, 2004).

Although initially, Gandhi advocated a policy of non-intervention in the internal affairs of the princely states at the Kathiawar Political Conference in January 1925, his involvement in later state was significant, due to his personal connection to the region. When the Maharajah of Bhavnagar sought Gandhi's guidance regarding the demand for responsible government, Gandhi directed him to Patel, who advised the Maharajah to accede to the people's wishes (Menon, 1956; Phadnis, 1968; Ramusack & Johnson, 2004). 

Junagarh Crisis: Junagadh, the premier Kathiawar state, caused a crisis by acceding to Pakistan despite being a Hindu-majority state and geographically isolated from Pakistan.

This decision was condemned by other Kathiawar rulers, including the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar and the Maharajah of Dhrangadhra. The Nawab of Junagarh, Muhammad Mahabat Khan III, fled to Pakistan after popular revolts erupted against this outcome. The Government of India intervened with Indian forces to restore order and held a referendum after Nawab’s departure, which overwhelmingly favoured union with India (Menon, 1956; Zubrzycki, 2023).

For the rest of the Kathiawar states, V. P. Menon used strategic persuasion. He hinted that if unification failed, Junagadh and smaller states might be merged with Bombay, a move that the Bombay government and Gujarati population would welcome. This, coupled with the Maharajah of Bhavnagar's early decision to grant responsible government, convinced the other rulers that a unified Kathiawar was the best option to avoid "disintegration of the States" and preserve their influence. Eventually, the rulers communicated their unanimous decision to agree to a unified Kathiawar (Basu, 2020; Menon, 1956).

The States Ministry also considered several schemes for Kathiawar:

Reviving Attachment Scheme: This was deemed inherently defective and would not solve the core problem, as smaller states would feel unfairly treated.

Division into Groups: Dividing Kathiawar into four units (around Bhavnagar, Nawanagar, Junagadh, and Dhrangadhra) was considered but found unlikely to produce viable administrative units.

Amalgamation with Bombay: Merging semi-jurisdictional and non-jurisdictional states with Bombay Province was considered, but these states were not compact, and it wouldn't be a final solution.

Complete Unification: The ‘irresistible conclusion’ was that the only satisfactory solution was the unification of all states in Kathiawar into a single unit. This was logical as the entire area consisted of states with no intervening British Indian territory.

Sardar Patel agreed to the amalgamation of all Kathiawar states into a one single unit and tasked V. P. Menon to draft the outlines of the scheme. This unification scheme was presented to Mahatma Gandhi by U.N. Dhebar, a Kathiawar Congress leader, and Gandhiji accepted and blessed the scheme. Menon explicitly used Gandhi's potential blessing to persuade the rulers to accept the plan. It envisioned the "United State of Kathiawar" (later Saurashtra) with a common executive, legislature, and judiciary, and a Constituent Assembly for framing a constitution based on responsible government (Menon, 1956).

Some rulers, particularly Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, were keen on preserving Kathiawar's entity and perpetuating rulership in some form. He was later appointed as the Raj Pramukh for life, which was seen as a way to ‘perpetuate rulership in some form.’

Rulers insisted on "generous treatment" for surrendering their states. While the ‘Eastern States formula’ was initially considered, Kathiawar rulers stood stubbornly against it, demanding 20% of gross revenues and allowances for ceremonies and charities. This resulted in higher privy purses for Kathiawar rulers compared to others in India (e.g., Bhavnagar at Rs 10 lakh), justified by Menon as a "small price" for consolidation. Rulers also opposed committing in advance to merging with a future Gujarat province, fearing loss of their guaranteed positions. So a provision was made allowing the Government of Kathiawar to negotiate a union with other Gujarati-speaking areas, but only with the agreement of the Council of Rulers and the Ministry (Menon, 1956; White Paper on Indian States, 1950).

The Covenant for the United State of Kathiawar was finalized on January 21, 1948. It defined the integration of territories into one state with a common executive, legislature, and judiciary. It also outlined the taking over of military forces (Article VII) and vested executive authority in the Rajpramukh (Article VIII). Sardar Patel inaugurated the United State of Kathiawar (renamed Saurashtra) on February 15, 1948, at Jamnagar. The Jam Saheb of Nawanagar was sworn in as Rajpramukh for life, and U.N. Dhebar was elected Premier. The administration of most states was handed over by April 15, 1948. The formation of Saurashtra set a precedent for subsequent unions of states (Menon, 1956; White Paper on Indian States, 1950).

References:

• Basu, N. (2020). VP Menon: The Unsung Architect of Modern India. Simon & Schuster India.

  
  

• Menon, V. P. (1956). The Story of Integration of the Indian states. Orient Blackswan.

  
  

• Phadnis, U. (1968). Towards the Integration of Indian States, 1919-1947 [Doctoral thesis]. Banaras Hindu University.

  
  

• Ramusack, B. N., & Johnson, G. (2004). The Indian Princes and their States. Cambridge university press.

  
  

• White Paper on Indian States. (1950). Ministry of States, Government of India. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/White_Paper_on_Indian_States_(1950)

  
  

• Zubrzycki, J. (2023). Dethroned: Patel, Menon and the integration of Princely India. Juggernaut Books.

Annexure