“The States must accede… It is physically impossible for them to remain independent.” — Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
When the British left, India was not one country but many. Besides British India, there were 562 princely states, covering two-fifths of the subcontinent, each with its own ruler. This chapter tells the story of how Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel integrated these states into the Indian Union—one of the most remarkable political achievements of the twentieth century.
The British had maintained a dual system in India: directly ruled territories (British India) and indirectly ruled princely states. When the British left, these states technically regained their sovereignty. They could choose to join India, join Pakistan, or remain independent.
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The prospect of a “Balkanized” India—fragmented into hundreds of petty kingdoms—was a real danger. If the major states chose independence, India would be unviable as a nation.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, as Home Minister, took charge of the integration. His methods combined persuasion, pressure, and the occasional threat of force. He was aided by V.P. Menon, a brilliant civil servant who drafted the instruments of accession.
Patel was known for his tough, no-nonsense approach. He made it clear that states surrounded by Indian territory had no realistic choice but to join. He offered generous terms—privy purses for rulers, retention of titles and some privileges—but the underlying message was firm: join India or face the consequences.
Most states joined India without significant resistance. The smaller states had no real choice. Many of the larger states had pro-Congress populations who demanded accession. By August 15, 1947, most states had signed instruments of accession.
The process was remarkably swift. In just a few months, over 500 states were merged into India—a feat of political consolidation unprecedented in history.
Three states posed major challenges: Junagadh, Hyderabad, and Kashmir. Each required different approaches and created lasting complications.
This small state in Gujarat had a Muslim ruler but a Hindu majority population. The Nawab acceded to Pakistan despite geography making this absurd (Junagadh was surrounded by Indian territory). India responded with a plebiscite after the Nawab fled; the people voted overwhelmingly for India.
The largest princely state, Hyderabad had a Muslim ruler (the Nizam) but a Hindu majority. The Nizam wanted independence. After a year of failed negotiations, India launched “Operation Polo”—a military action that conquered the state in four days. The integration was accompanied by communal violence that killed thousands.
Kashmir, with its Muslim majority but Hindu ruler, presented the most complex case—one that would haunt India-Pakistan relations for decades (covered in the next chapter).
The integration involved not just accession but reorganization. Hundreds of small states were merged into larger administrative units. New states were created by combining princely territories with parts of British India.
Rajasthan was created from 22 princely states. PEPSU (Patiala and East Punjab States Union) merged 8 Sikh states. Gujarat absorbed Baroda and numerous smaller states. The map of India was completely redrawn.
To secure peaceful accession, Patel promised the princes annual payments (privy purses) and privileges. The Nizam of Hyderabad, the richest man in the world, received Rs. 50 lakh annually. Lesser princes received amounts based on their former revenues.
These arrangements were guaranteed by the Constitution. They would later become controversial and were abolished by Indira Gandhi in 1971—an act that some saw as a betrayal of promises made at independence.
The integration of the princely states was completed in barely two years. It created a unified India from what had been a patchwork of territories. Without this integration, India would have been a geographic absurdity, riddled with independent enclaves.
Guha describes the integration as one of the most remarkable political achievements of modern times. Patel used a combination of nationalism, self-interest, and pressure to achieve in months what might have taken decades—or never happened at all.