At the time of
Indian independence in 1947, India was divided into two sets of territories, the first being the territories under the control of the
British Empire, and the second being the territories over which
the Crown had
suzerainty, but which were under the control of their hereditary rulers. In addition, there were several colonial enclaves controlled by France and Portugal. The political integration of these territories into India was a declared objective of the
Indian National Congress, which the
Government of India pursued over the next decade. Through a combination of factors, Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel and
V. P. Menon convinced the rulers of the various
princely states to accede to India. Having secured their accession, they then proceeded to, in a step-by-step process, secure and extend the central government's authority over these states and transform their administrations until, by 1956, there was little difference between the territories that had formerly been part of
British India and those that had been part of princely states. Simultaneously, the Government of India, through a combination of diplomatic and military means, acquired
de facto and
de jure control over the remaining colonial enclaves, which too were integrated into India.