What are the various forms of regionalism.
Answers
Some of the most important forms of regionalism in Indian political system are as follows:
I. Demand for Secession from the Indian Union i.e. Forces of Secessionism:
Demand for secession from India constitutes the extreme dimension of regionalism in India. Secessionist forces have been present in J & K, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura and in-fact in the whole of North-East of India. Several groups and organisations have been advocating secessionism from India on the basis d the factor of ethnicism. Nagas, Mejos Islamic fundamentalist groups in J & K, ULFA in Assam and some other such groups have been pursuing secessionism. These have been using violent means for securing their objectives.
II. Demand for Separate Statehood within the Indian Union:
The second popular brand of regionalism in India happens to be in the form of a demand for separate statehood in the Indian Union. After the 1956 reorganization of states of India, there continues to be demands for separate statehood in various parts of the country. The rise in the number of states of the Indian Union from 16 in 1956 to 2a in 1989 to 28 in 2000 tends to prove the correctness of this statement.
In 1960, the bilingual State of Bombay was bifurcated into Maharashtra and Gujarat. In 1963, the State of Nagaland was carved out of Assam. In 1966, Punjab was reorganized into Punjabi Speaking Punjab, Hindi Speaking Haryana, and Hilly areas into Himachal Pradesh. Chandigarh was made a Union Territories.
In 1969, the State of Meghalaya was formed out of Assam. Later on, Himachal, Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura. Manipur, Sikkim became fully fledged states of the Union. In 2000, the States of Jharkhand was created out of Bihar, Uttaranchal out of UP and Chhattisgarh out of MP. Now Telangna people in Andhra Pradesh have been demanding the states of a separate state of Indian Union.
III. Demand for Full Statehood:
The union territories have been putting forward their demands for grant of full statehood. Most of such demands have already been accepted. In 1971, Himachal Pradesh got the status of a full state and thereafter Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh (former NEFA), Sikkim got full statehoods. Now the Central Government is considering the grant of full statehood to Delhi. If granted, it will also encourage other union territories to demand statehoods. The demands for full statehoods also reflect the presence of a sort of regionalism.
IV. Demand for Autonomy:
Another form of manifestation of regionalism in India has been the demand for more autonomy. In particular, this demand has been raised by the states with powerful regional political parties. In Tamil Nadu the DMK, in Punjab the Akali Dal, in Andhra Pradesh the Telgu Desham, in Assam the Assam Gana Parishad, the National conference in J and K and in West Bengal the Forward Bloc have been continuously demanding a larger share of powers for the states.
Since 1967 i.e., after the 4th General Elections which led to the emergence of non-Congress governments in many states, the demand for state autonomy has been gaining more and more strength. This demand has its basis in the Unitarian spirit of the Indian constitution. It has been aggravated by central political interferences in the affairs of states. The overthrow of duly elected State governments on one pretext or the other has been also responsible for giving strength to this demand.
The cry for State Autonomy goes to the extreme of demanding the limitation of Union powers only to the spheres of Defence, External Affairs, Currency and Coinage, Railways and Post and Telegraphs. The Rajamannar Committee report in Tamil Nadu, the Memorandum on Centre-State relations prepared by the West Bengal Government and the Anandpur Sahib Resolution of the Akali Dal, all advocate the need for a greater state autonomy. This has been causing strains upon Centre-State relations.
V. Demand for Regional Autonomy within a State:
In some of the states of the Indian Union, people belonging to various regions have been demanding recognition of their regional indentities. The genesis of such demands lies in the regional imbalances resulting from an inefficient planning. In J & K, the Ladakhis demand a regional status. In West Bengal the Gorkhaland demand was based on this principle. Even demands for Telangana, Bodoland, and Konkan states can be placed under this head. Now these demands have got transformed into demands for the grant of statehoods.