The correct answer is All of the above. Explanation & Key Takeaways: The factors which created difficulties in the formation of Sanyukta Maharashtra - • Congress High Command - • Congress High Command persistently ignored the demands of Marathi speaking population and imposed their decisions on them. • Historically, there was a psychological barrier between the congress high command. • The Caste Factor - • There was a possibility that in Sanyukta Maharashtra. • The Maratha Caste group would emerge as dominant and the interest of Dalits would be in jeopardy. • Therefore, they were a little apprehensive regarding it. • The Brahmin upper caste leadership too was initially apprehensive about Sanyukta Maharashtra as it meant the emergence of Maratha Raj. • Inadequacy of leadership - • In the initial period, till the establishment of the Sanyukta Maharashtra Samiti, the agitations were leaderless. • Thus, lack of leadership, lack of courage in leadership, the leadership working at a cross purpose. • The leadership antagonistic to Sanyukta Maharashtra were formidable hurdles. • Morarji Desai Factor - • Morarji Desai, then Chief Minister of Bombay State, was in favour of a bigger or balanced Bilingual state and was opposed to Sanyukta Maharashtra. • He had ordered ruthless crushing of the agitations and issued 'a shoot to kill' order to police. • Importance of Mumbai City - • Sanyukta Maharashtra without Mumbai was as backward as any other part of India. • Mumbai was not only highly industrialized but the 'Commercial Capital of India' also. • Industrial trade and commerce were controlled by the non-Maharashtrians, whereas the proletariat class was Maharashtrians. • The trade union movement was controlled by the left parties and their affiliates. • Thus the capitalist class was apprehensive about its interests in Sanyukta Maharastra and favoured a bilingual state and preferably the city to be the Union Territory. • Aspiration for a separate Vidarbha - • The cotton-growing areas of Vidharbha and the fertile land of Nagpur was a part of CP-Berar in the pre-independence period. • Nagpur was the state capital and had all political advantages and status accompanying that. • The leadership from this region believed that it would be an economically viable state. • They were not a part of the 'Nagpur Pact'. • Thus, the aspirations of the leadership in Vidarbha to have a separate state was a major hurdle in the realization of the Sanyukta Maharashtra.