Which of the following were members of the States Reorganisation Commission (SR

• The Tamil Nadu Governor recently criticised the linguistic division of states in India, calling it a factor in the creation of “second-class citizens”. 29 Daily MCQs Compilation with Explanations | August 2025 Background  • At Independence in 1947, India inherited a patchwork of provinces and princely states shaped by colonial administrative imperatives. These included: ƒ Provinces under direct British rule, ƒ 565 princely states under indirect control.  • The Constitution, which came into force on January 26, 1950, declared India to be a “Union of States”. The country, at the time, was divided into 28 states, falling under four categories.  • Post-Independence, people expected the new democratic government to respect and reflect linguistic aspirations in governance. Development in Later phases  • JVP Committee (1948–1949): The Indian National Congress set up the Linguistic Provinces Committee in December 1948, comprising Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, and Pattabhi Sitaramayya. ƒ Findings: The committee formally rejected language as the basis for reorganisation and emphasised the risks of national disintegration due to linguistic division.  • Creation of Andhra State: Potti Sriramulu’s 56-day hunger strike for a Telugu-speaking state led to his death in 1952, triggering mass protests. ƒ In response, the Government created Andhra State in October 1953 by separating Teluguspeaking areas from Madras State, marking the first linguistic state in India.  • States Reorganisation Commission (SRC), 1953: • Government of India appointed ( December, 1953) a three member States Reorganisation Commission under the chairmanship of Fazl Ali with other two members were K.M. Panikkar and H.N. Kunzru.  • The Commission broadly accepted language as a valid criterion but rejected the idea of “one language–one state.”