Let's make Punjab prosperous

Today, November 1, 'New Punjab' Day is being celebrated. On November 1, 1966, Punjab was reorganized on the basis of the Punjabi language. After the partition of 1947, on July 15, 1948, the government merged the princely states of Patiala, Nabha, Kapurthala, Kalsia, Nalagarh, Malerkotla, Jind and Faridkot to form the PEPSU province.

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The Sikh population was high in PEPSU. Therefore, propaganda for the establishment of a Sikh state began. Akali leader Master Tara Singh had demanded Punjabi Suba. The Shiromani Akali Dal passed a resolution that a Punjabi-speaking province, i.e. Punjabi Suba, was needed for culture, language and self-respect. Master Tara Singh, after being released from jail in 1949, vigorously campaigned for the demand for Punjabi Suba. The Communist Party also supported the Akali Dal, but on the condition that Haryana province be created for Hindi-speaking areas and Himachal Pradesh for hilly areas. The government announced the Sachar Formula in October 1949, according to which two parts of Punjab were created to determine the medium of education: Hindi-speaking and Punjabi-speaking. The Hindi-speaking part included Karnal, Kangra, Gurgaon, Rohtak and Hisar districts. The Punjabi-speaking part included Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Ropar and Kharar tehsils of Ambala district. Ambala, Shimla, Sirsa and Chandigarh were accepted as bilingual areas. The Sikhs welcomed the Sachar Formula with joy and considered it the first step towards achieving a 'Punjabi state'. But the Hindu Jana Sangh, Hindu Maha Sabha and Arya Samaj criticized the Sachar Formula. A delegation of five Akali members led by Akali Dal President Ma Tara Singh met Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Home Minister Govind Vallabh Pant and Education Minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. After listening to the views of the Akalis, the Central Government made a plan, which is known in history as the Regional Formula. Hindus and Hindu organizations opposed this. The Akalis again started demanding Punjabi Suba. On 12 October 1958, a conference was held at Amritsar for the achievement of Punjabi Suba. In the elections to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Comm