How did the Partition of India affect Haryana's relationship with Punjab?

The Partition of India in 1947 did not immediately sever the administrative union between Haryana and Punjab; rather, the two regions remained part of the same state following independence.1

The relationship between the two regions had long been characterized by an "awkward" union due to deep-seated linguistic and religious differences: the Punjabi-speaking Sikh population of Punjab and the Hindi-speaking Hindu population of Haryana. While the Partition caused massive displacement and communal violence—particularly affecting the Sikh community, which suffered high casualties and fled to the Indian side of the newly divided Punjab—the demand for separate states for these distinct linguistic groups continued to grow.123

This ongoing agitation for autonomy, supported by both communities, eventually reached its peak in the early 1960s. Consequently, the state of Punjab was reorganized under the Punjab Reorganization Act, leading to the separation of the two regions in 1966. This act established Haryana as the 17th state of India, effectively fulfilling the aspirations of the Hindi-speaking population for a separate state while addressing the Sikh community's desire for a Punjabi-speaking province.14