White Paper on Indian States (1950)/Part 4/States Department

by Ministry of States, Government of India

States Department

72. It was against this background that the Government of India decided to set up a Department to conduct their relations with the States in matters of common concern.

On 13th June, 1947, the Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, invited Pandit Nehru, Sardar Patel and Acharya Kripalani (on behalf of the Congress); Mr. Jinnah, Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan, and Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar (on behalf of the Muslim League); and Sardar Baldev Singh (on behalf of the Sikhs); to attend an informal meeting to discuss the problem of the States. Sir Conrad Corfield (Political Adviser) was also present. Among the agreed conclusions reached at this meeting was the following:—

"That it would be advantageous if the Government of India were to get up a new Department, possibly called the "States Department", to deal with matters of common concern with the States; that, if this were done, the new Department should be divided into two sections, ready for the partition of the country; and that the existing Political Department and the Political Adviser should give all possible assistance and advice in the formation of this new Department".

73. The above conclusion was considered, in the form of a recommendation, by the Cabinet of the Interim Government at its meeting on 25th June, 1947, and the decision of the Cabinet in that behalf was announced in the Press Communique issued on 27th June, 1947, which read:—

"In order that the successor Governments will each have an organisation to conduct its relations with the Indian States when the Political Department is wound up, His Excellency the Viceroy, in consultation with the Cabinet, has decided to create a new Department called the States Department to deal with matters arising between the Central Government and the Indian States. This Department will be in charge of Sardar Patel, who will work in consultation with Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar. The new Department will be organised in such a way and its work so distributed that at the appropriate time it can be divided up between the two successor Governments without any dislocation. Mr. V. P. Menon will be the Secretary of the new Department".

Sardar Nishtar was thus nominated as the Muslim League member of the Interim Government to be consulted in the working of the new department: Mr. Ikramullah was appointed Joint Secretary of it. It was intended that with effect from 15th August 1947, they would hold charge of the States Department of Pakistan.