Pariksha SaathiLesson 4 of 10 · Haryana General Knowledge
Formation of Haryana (1966), Administration and Polity
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Background to the demand
After 1858 the Haryana region was the Hindi-speaking south-eastern part of Punjab, governed from Lahore and, after Partition, from Simla and then Chandigarh. Its leaders complained that it was neglected in jobs, irrigation and development. After Independence the Punjabi Suba movement, led by Master Tara Singh and later Sant Fateh Singh, demanded a Punjabi-speaking state. Attempts to keep Punjab united, such as the Sachar Formula (1949) and the Regional Formula (1956), divided it into Hindi and Punjabi zones for language and development but did not end the demand, and the States Reorganisation Commission of 1955 did not recommend a separate Punjabi state.
Hukam Singh Committee and Shah Commission
In 1965 a parliamentary committee headed by the Lok Sabha Speaker, Sardar Hukam Singh, was set up and recommended reorganising Punjab on a linguistic basis. In April 1966 the Union government appointed the Punjab Boundary Commission under Justice J.C. Shah, with S. Dutt and M.M. Philip as members, to draw the line between the Punjabi- and Hindi-speaking areas on the basis of the 1961 Census. Its report, submitted in May 1966, recommended that Kharar tehsil, including Chandigarh, go to Haryana; the government did not accept this part and made Chandigarh a Union Territory instead.
The Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966
Parliament passed the Punjab Reorganisation Act in September 1966. From 1 November 1966 the Hindi-speaking south-eastern districts became the new state of Haryana, the 17th state of India; Punjab kept the Punjabi-speaking areas; the hill areas went to Himachal Pradesh, then a Union Territory; and Chandigarh became a Union Territory serving as the capital of both Punjab and Haryana. 1 November is therefore celebrated as Haryana Day. Pt. Bhagwat Dayal Sharma became the first Chief Minister, Dharma Vira the first Governor and Shanno Devi the first Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha. The Rajiv-Longowal Accord of 24 July 1985 promised Chandigarh to Punjab in exchange for Hindi-speaking areas, but the transfer never took place.
Legislature and courts
Haryana has a unicameral legislature, the Vidhan Sabha, with 90 seats, 17 of them reserved for Scheduled Castes; none is reserved for Scheduled Tribes because no tribe is notified in the state. The Vidhan Sabha meets in the Capitol Complex at Chandigarh, in the same building as the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. Haryana elects 10 members to the Lok Sabha, of which Ambala and Sirsa are reserved for Scheduled Castes, and 5 members to the Rajya Sabha. Under Article 231, which lets Parliament set up a common High Court for two or more states, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh share the Punjab and Haryana High Court at Chandigarh. The Haryana Public Service Commission and the Haryana Staff Selection Commission, which recruits for Group C posts, are the state's main recruiting bodies.
Political milestones
Haryana's early politics gave India a famous phrase. In 1967 Gaya Lal, MLA from Hasanpur (the seat now called Hodal), changed parties three times in quick succession, giving rise to 'Aaya Ram Gaya Ram', and the wave of defections led to the state's first spell of President's Rule in November 1967. Defections were finally tackled by the 52nd Amendment (1985), which added the Tenth Schedule (the anti-defection law) to the Constitution. Hindi is the official language under the Haryana Official Language Act, 1969, and since 2010 Punjabi has had the status of second language. In 2015 Haryana amended its Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 to require minimum educational qualifications for panchayat candidates, and the Supreme Court upheld this in Rajbala v. State of Haryana (2015).
State symbols and identity
The state animal is the blackbuck, the state bird the black francolin, the state tree the peepal and the state flower the lotus. Census 2011 recorded a sex ratio of 879 females per 1,000 males, the lowest among the states, and a child sex ratio of 834; partly for this reason the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme was launched from Panipat on 22 January 2015.
Key facts
- Haryana Day: 1 November 1966, under the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966; Haryana became the 17th state of India.
- Hukam Singh Parliamentary Committee (1965-66) recommended a linguistic reorganisation; the Shah Commission (Justice J.C. Shah, 1966) drew the boundary on the basis of the 1961 Census.
- Chandigarh: Union Territory and shared capital of Punjab and Haryana; the Rajiv-Longowal Accord (1985) promised it to Punjab, but the transfer never happened.
- Firsts: Chief Minister Pt. Bhagwat Dayal Sharma; Governor Dharma Vira; Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha Shanno Devi.
- Vidhan Sabha: unicameral, 90 seats, 17 reserved for SC, none for ST. Lok Sabha: 10 seats (Ambala and Sirsa reserved for SC). Rajya Sabha: 5.
- Punjab and Haryana High Court at Chandigarh: a common High Court under Article 231 for Punjab, Haryana and the UT of Chandigarh.
- 'Aaya Ram Gaya Ram': coined after Gaya Lal, MLA from Hasanpur (now Hodal), switched parties three times in 1967; the 52nd Amendment (1985) added the anti-defection Tenth Schedule.
- Official language Hindi (Haryana Official Language Act, 1969); Punjabi has been the second language since 2010.
- Rajbala v. State of Haryana (2015): the Supreme Court upheld minimum educational qualifications for panchayat candidates.
- State symbols: blackbuck (animal), black francolin (bird), peepal (tree), lotus (flower). Beti Bachao Beti Padhao was launched at Panipat on 22 January 2015.
Quick revision
Punjabi Suba movement; Sachar (1949) and Regional (1956) formulas; Hukam Singh Committee; Shah Commission 1966 (1961 Census basis); Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966; Haryana 17th state, 1 Nov 1966; Chandigarh UT and shared capital; first CM Bhagwat Dayal Sharma, Governor Dharma Vira, Speaker Shanno Devi; Vidhan Sabha 90 (17 SC), LS 10 (Ambala, Sirsa SC), RS 5; common High Court (Art. 231); Aaya Ram Gaya Ram 1967; Hindi official (1969 Act); BBBP Panipat 2015.