The SRC have created quite a buzz in the political world. It seems to have led to sharp divisions within the ruling party. Some have opposed the setting up of another states reorganization commission, while there is an equally strong support for the idea of division of some large states across the country.

The idea behind it is that large states are unwieldy and not easy to govern just as it is easier to run smaller entities more efficiently. The experience in India has been mixed over the years when there were large states considered to be well-governed and also large ones that were headed in the other direction. Likewise, there have been smaller states with reputation for good administration while others with different story to tell. It is not the size of the state but the leadership factor plays an important role in the quality of a state’s administration and it is equally important for the leaders to stay focused on progress and well being of the people, which is not possible among the majority of political leadership by now used to placing self or partisan interest above everything else.

The demand for division of large states may reason up with discrimination in one or more regions within the states as a result of which these regions lag behind in economic development, but the real reason is self and party interests above those of the people. The demand for carving out new states out of existing ones has gathered speed because of the relative ease with which three new states were created by dividing UP, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. Protagonists of new states support one of the two courses to meet their demand: either divide some of the larger states straightaway through an executive action or appoint a States Reorganization Commission on the pattern of the one that was set up half a century ago. The latter course is far less popular with the politicians because it will be a time-consuming exercise, which may end without necessarily recommending division of states.

In the 1950s it was probably neces¬sary to redraw the colonial era maps of the states. The language riots in many parts of the country such as the old Bombay that was uneasy with a mix of Marathi and Gujarati speaking populations and the Punjabi Suba agitation by the Akalis demanding separation of Punjabi and Hindi-speaking Haryana had also forced the Government of the day to set up the SRC, though Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was opposed to linguistic states.

 The Government must not be guided by political considerations in considering the demand for new states. Chopping the size of some states can prove to be infectious while the benefits to the people will continue to look uncertain in an environment where democratic institutions that articulate people’s aspirations and seek their redress are becoming weaker.  The Lok Sabha poll are near and whatever is decided will surely influence the polls.