The State People's Movement was started by the people of princely states of India during the British Raj, which were indirectly ruled by the British with the help of Indian Rajas or Nawabs. Most of the princely states were politically, socially, and economically very weak. The tax rate was quite high compared to British India. The princes had complete control over the Privy Purse and used it for their luxurious lifestyles. Some states, however, were exceptions like Baroda and Mysore. They initiated many reform movements and welfare work. They even developed their industries.
The Non-Cooperation and Khilafat movements spread the ideas of nationalism in the princely states. The States' People Conference was set up in the states of Mysore, Hyderabad, Baroda, Jamnagar, Indore, Navanagar, and Kathiawad. In 1927, the All India States People Conference was formed, in which men like Balwant Rai Mehta, Manilal Kothari, and G.R. Abhyankar played a significant role. Almost 700 men participated. The Congress party, at the Nagpur session (1920), passed a resolution related to princely states for the first time and demanded responsible government in the princely states, and also permitted the people of these states to become members of the Congress party. However, they were not allowed to start any movement in their states in the name of Congress. The Congress party repeated its demand in 1927, and in 1929, at the Lahore session, Nehru announced, "that the princely states cannot exist independently from India and the fate of these states can be decided only by their people." But this was only Jawaharlal's view. The Congress party neglected two crucial questions regarding princely states:
- Responsible government
- Integration with India
Gandhi, however, demanded the following from the princely states:
- Civil liberties for the people
- Independent courts
- Reduction in the Privy Purses of the Rajas and Nawabs
Still, issues related to peasants and tribals were hardly raised.
The Government of India Act, 1935, had a provision for an All India Federation comprising British India and princely states. It at least gave hope of integration, though at a limited level, between British India and the princely states. However, it was short-lived as the provision of the All India Federation was not implemented. The formation of ministries in eight states in 1937 by Congress inspired the people of princely states because many princely states were surrounded by U.P., C.P., Madras, Bombay, Bihar, Orissa, Assam, and N.W.F.P., where Congress was ruling. Praja Mandals were set up in Jaipur, Kashmir, Patiala, Hyderabad, Mysore, Travancore, etc. Some of its leaders like Jamnalal Bajaj, Sheikh Abdullah, Jai Narayan Vyas, and U.N. Dhebar became prominent in later years. When the Congress party saw spirited leaders and enthusiastic people in the princely states, it was forced to change its earlier policy of non-interference. At the Tripuri session (1939), presided over by Subhash Chandra Bose, Congress decided to support the State People's Conference Movement, and Nehru was made president of the movement at Ludhiana. Thus, nationalist leaders of British India and the princely states joined hands.
In 1939, at Rajkot, a popular movement started under the leadership of U.N. Dhebar against Virawala, the unpopular Dewan of Rajkot, who had imposed numerous monopolies (disliked by local traders) and stopped summoning an advisory elected council set up earlier. Nearly half the revenue of the state was swallowed up by the Privy Purse of its ruler. Kasturba Gandhi and Maniben Patel courted arrest in February 1939, and Gandhi himself went to Rajkot and started fasting on March 3. The British, as expected, supported Virawala. Gandhi was in a dilemma when the Muslims and the so-called untouchables demanded more seats in the proposed Reform Committee. He decided to withdraw from Rajkot affairs.
The movement had already begun in other parts of the princely states, especially in Mysore, Hyderabad, Travancore, and Orissa. In Mysore, the movement became violent in April 1938 on the issue of legislation of the Congress and responsible government. Patel concluded a truce with Dewan Mirza Ismail, which legalized the Congress, but the failure to implement the promises led to another round of civil disobedience from September 1939.
In Orissa, the movement was more radical and linked to basic issues like forced labour, extortion of 'gifts,' tenancy rights, taxes on forest produce, etc. The movement was more violent among the tribals, who fought back with bows and arrows against the armed power of the princes. Major Barzelgette, the British political agent, was stoned to death by the crowd on January 5, 1939, when he fired on a crowd in front of the royal palace.
The movement in Hyderabad, the biggest princely state, became communal because of the activities of the Hindu Mahasabha and Arya Samaj. The exploitation of common people, in many forms such as Vethi (forced labour), in Hyderabad, was similar to other princely states. However, the Hindu Mahasabha took advantage of the fact that in a Hindu-majority state, a Muslim minority was ruling. The Congress too started Satyagraha in Hyderabad but called it off at Gandhi's insistence in December 1938. He did not want to identify himself with communal forces. In the Telangana region, the Communists were preparing for a long peasant guerrilla war.
A powerful agitation started against the autocracy of Dewan C.P. Ramaswami Iyer by the Travancore State Congress in August 1938. Students joined the jathas (groups of people) and marched toward Travancore from different parts of Kerala. The working class was at the forefront. Alleppey coir workers, led by Krishna Pillai, went on strike in October 1938, demanding not only increased wages and union recognition but also the release of political prisoners and responsible government based on universal franchise. The Dewan was forced to call off repressive measures against the Congress Satyagraha to isolate the militant Alleppey workers. Gandhi and the Congress high command withdrew the Satyagraha once a few token concessions were obtained.
After independence, most of the princely states (434 out of 563) were merged into India, mainly due to the efforts of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Only Hyderabad, Junagarh, and Kashmir resisted for a longer period.
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