Dr.

Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law

University,
Lucknow

ACADEMIC SESSION: 2016-17

SOCIOLOGY

Seperation of Bundelkhand

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

Prof. (Dr.) Sanjay Singh Afzal Mohhamad

H.O.D (Legal Studies and Humanities) B.A. LLB (Hons.)
1st Semester
Roll No. 11
Acknowledgement

I express my gratitude and deep regards to my teacher for the subject

for allowing me to work on such a challenging topic and also for her
exemplary guidance, monitoring and constant encouragement throughout
the course of this project.

I also take this opportunity to express a deep sense of gratitude to my

seniors in the college for their cordial support, valuable information and
guidance, which helped me in completing this task through various stages.
CONTENTS:

Acknowledgement.................................................................................................................2

Introduction.............................................................................................................................4

Reasons supporting the cause..........................................................................................5

Effect of making Telangana a separate state on the demand of

Bundelkhand ...........................................................................................................................5

Political views on the idea of Bundelkhand................................................................8

Conclusion................................................................................................................................10
INTRODUCTION

Since the early 1960s there has been a movement for establishing a
Bundelkhand state or promoting development of the region.

Bundelkhand is geographically the central part of India covering part of

Madhya Pradesh and part of Uttar Pradesh.

In spite of being rich in minerals, the people of Bundelkhand are very poor
and the region is underdeveloped and underrepresented in state and
central politics.

Before 1956 Bundelkhand was a state but then it merged with Madhya
Bharat to create Madhya Pradesh and remaining was given to Uttar
Pradesh (No can still justify why it was separated in 1956 or on what basis
it was separated).
REASONS SUPPORTING THE CAUSE:

1. Cultural Differences: Bundelkhand is a separate region, its having

separate language ,different customs and there is very less similarity
between traditions of some areas of Malwa (Area of MP) or Awadh (Area of
UP) in Bundelkhand.

2. Backwardness: Bundelkhand is the most backward area of whole India

and MP/UP government doesnt focus on uplifting these areas( My village
in LALITPUR district got electricity in 2012)

3. Migration: There are very few industries so most of the peoples have to
migrate from the region to the nearby big cities mainly, Jhansi, Bhopal,
Indore.

4. Political representation: Except UMA Bharti there is no politician of

national level from a area greater than Haryana and Punjab combined.

Effect of making Telangana a separate state on

the demand of Bundelkhand:

The Centres initiative on the creation of a separate new Telangana State

appears to have given a fillip to the longstanding demand for creation of a
separate State of Bundelkhand now with the Bundelkhand Mukti Morcha
set to launch a padayatra from Kamtanath temple in Chitrakoot district of
Uttar Pradesh to Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh on December 16.
The padayatris aim to cover 300 km by the time the march ends in
Khajuraho on January 1, 2010. This would be followed by a kisan
mahapanchayat in Orchha (Madhya Pradesh) on January 26.

The Bundelkhand Mukti Morcha has been at the vanguard of the movement
for creation of a Bundelkhand State by carving out seven districts of Uttar
Pradesh and 12 of Madhya Pradesh. The seven UP districts of the backward
Bundelkhand region of the State are Jhansi, Lalitpur, Jalaun, Mahoba,
Hamirpur, Chitrakoot and Banda.

Though the convenor of the Morcha, cinema and TV actor Raja Bundela,
said on Thursday that the peoples march for Bundelkhand had been
planned earlier, he admitted that the demand would gather momentum
now following the Centres nod for a new Telangana State.

"Ours would be a peaceful march through which the Bundelkhand Mukti

Morcha will intimate the Centre as well as the State governments about the
need to create a separate State. Financial package alone is not going to
solve the magnitude of the problems faced by the people of the region,
Raja Bundela told The Hindu over phone.

Issues ranging from Bundelkhands backwardness, miseries in the wake of

the drought and forced migration of the people have dominated the politics
of the region with both the Congress and the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party
locked in a battle of political hegemony. Recently the UPA Government at
the Centre approved a package of over Rs.7,000 crore for development of
the region with the money to be apportioned between UP and Madhya
Pradesh.
"Unfortunately, funds have often not been put to productive use. Moreover,
the 27 MLAs belonging to the region have no say in the development
initiative, said Mr. Bundela.

In fact, the Bundelkhand Mukti Morcha has claimed that a treaty had been
signed by the rulers of 35 principalities of the Bundelkhand region in UP
and MP and a representative of the Government of India in 1949 where the
idea of Bundelkhand State was born. The Morcha convenor said Telangana
and Bundelkhand have a common basis.

Apart from Bundelkhand, the demand for a separate State of Purvanchal

and a separate State of Harit Pradesh has also been raised in the State. The
demand for Harit Pradesh by incorporating four divisional
commissionaries of western Uttar Pradesh has figured prominently on the
political agenda of Rashtriya Lok Dal. That smaller States were
administered better has been the rationale for the RLDs demand for Harit
Pradesh.

UP Chief Minister Mayawati, too, has supported the demand for creation of
Purvanchal, Bundelkhand and Harit Pradesh and for the development of
the Bundelkhand region she has demanded a special incentive package of
Rs.80,000 crore from the Centre. But two years down the line, the Centre is
yet to respond to her proposal.
Political Views on the Idea of Bundelkhand:

Even as the UPA coordination committee cleared the creation of a separate

Telangana state on Tuesday, the demand for a separate Bundelkhand state
doesnt seem to be enthusing the leadership of either of the prominent
political parties in the state.

In fact, leaders feel that the demand for a separate Bundelkhand may not
pick up post the creation of Telangana as unlike Telangana, the movement
does not have ground-level support.
In November 2011, the UP assembly had passed a resolution for creation of
Bundelkhand but the MP government rejected the demand outright.
The proposed state of Bundelkhand is to have six districts from MP and
seven districts from UP.
Finance minister Jayant Malaiya told HT that the creation of Telangana will
not have an impact on the demand for Bundelkhand.
MP has been working on improving Bundelkhand and has allocated vast
resources to the area. The area will benefit by remaining a part of MP, he
said.
Malaiya, a BJP leader from Damoh said the spending on all sectors has
increased in districts of Bundelkhand and the demand for separate state is
not relevant.
Rural development minister Gopal Bhargava said the demand for
Bundelkhand will pick up post the creation of Telangana.
The BJP has supported the demand for smaller states but Bundelkhand
involves two states which makes it slightly different, he said.
Former minister and Congress leader Raja Pateria said, I support the
demand for Bundelkhand but in the present context with BJP in power in
MP and Samajwadi party in UP, the creation of Bundelkhand seems
difficult, he said.
Pateria added that the creation of a new state requires public demand
which is missing in Bundelkhand.
States created without public demand do not do well in the long run, he
said.
Congress MLA from Prithivipur in Tikamgarh district, Brajendra Singh
Rathore said with the creation of Telangana, those demanding a separate
Bundelkhand will get active.
The Congress supports the demand if its the demand of the people, he
said.
The earliest demands for a separate Bundelkhand can be traced back to an
agreement with the government of India and 35 erstwhile ruling states of
Bundelkhand in 1949.
Later, the demand was raised by Shankarlal Malhotra and Mahendra
Manav.
In recent times, actor Raja Bundela has been the flag bearer of the separate
Bundelkhand movement, but his presence and the demand for the state has
been intermittent.
Conclusion:

As far as the demand of Bundelkhand is concerned , the decision lies in the

hands of the centre government as they are the sole authority in this
matter. But making a state takes a lot of thinking and what a handful of
people think doesnt matter and a poll for majority should be held. As of
right now it doesnt seems that the government is at all interested i the idea
of making a new state called Bundelkhand. For the people of Bundelkhand
the thought of having a separate state gives them a sigh of hope as of right
now the condition is worst and all they need is some development in there
area. Lack of representation of their area in the state assembly is another
major cause of slow growth in the area. By having a separate state this
problem can be totally solved.