federalism and regionalism in india

8/19/2019 Federalism and Regionalism in India

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Federalism and Regionalism in India : Institutional Strategies and Political

Accommodation of Identity Bhattacharyya, Harihar URL: http:archi!"u#"uni$

heidel#erg"de!ollte%tser!er&&'' UR(: urn:n#n:de:#s):*+$heido$&&''- .atum:

*/" 0ay /''& Bitte #eachten Sie die (ut)ungs#edingungen: http:archi!"u#"uni$

heidel#erg"de!ollte%tser!erhelplicense1urhg"html Heidel#erg Papers in SouthAsian and 2omparati!e Politics South Asia Institute .epartment of Political Science

Uni!ersity of Heidel#erg Federalism and Regionalism in India Institutional Strategies

and Political Accommodation of Identity #y Harihar Bhattacharyya 3oring Paper

(o" /4 0ay /''& H5I.5LB5R6 PAP5RS I( S7U8H ASIA( A(. 270PARA8I95

P7LI8I2S 3oring Paper (o" /4 0ay /''& ISS( *+*4$&'+;


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multinational So!iet Union, and the split up of the Federal Repu#lic of =ugosla!ia"

IndiaJs record of relati!e unity and integrity stands in sharp contrast to many

postcolonial federations,


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Federalism is seen here as a political euili#rium,


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Sihs *;,/*&,4E' *";Q Buddhists 4,;&&,/'4 '"DQ ains -,//&,'&E '"-Q 7ther

religions +,+E;,+/+ '"+Q Religion not stated n"a" '"*Q 8otal *,'/D,+*',E/D *''Q

Source: 2ensus Reports of India, /''*" 8hree features stand out from 8a#le * a#o!e

regarding regional concentration of religious groups in India" First, there is only one

0uslim maNority state in India, !i)", ammu Mashmir" 8his


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languages @2ensus Report of India, *;;*,


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language, 5nglish @lin language, and the Dth Schedule language, as mentioned

a#o!e" In actual political process, the demand for the ocial recognition of

languages has most often #een intertects" 8


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eeping in mind the countryJs manifold di!ersity, and multiple identities" 8he

num#er of States in India has thus remained changing" 7ne


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6o!ernor of the state concerned, and the rest shall #e elected on the #asis of

uni!ersal adult su>rage" @- 8he elected mem#ers of the 2ouncils shall hold oce

for a term of ?!e years from the date appointed for the ?rst meeting of the 2ouncil

after the general elections to the 2ouncils, unless the .istrict 2ouncil is dissol!ed

sooner #y the 6o!ernor, and the nominated mem#er shall hold oce at the

pleasure of the 6o!ernor" @& 8he 2ouncil has legislati!e po


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identity, as a#o!e, are designed for self$rule" 8here are clear constitutional

distri#ution of po


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mo#ilisation, often taing on a !iolent character, ected

State 6o!ernment, and the ethnic leaders for a negotiated settlement" Such ethnic

peace accords ha!e #een the #ases for su#seuent legislation at Union and State

legislatures for instituting a ne< state, or a su#$state" Region$#ased tri#al ethnicity,

not language,


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religion as a #asis of demanding statehood in the late *;+'s" But, realising that

religion ecti!e

for a !ast and di!erse country lie India" 8he relati!e failure of their model of

go!ernance led them to introduce, #y degrees, since the *;/'s, doses of de!olution

and federalism in India in


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federalism" Interestingly enough, the pro!incialists demanded increase re!enue for

pro!inces, #ut


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made one of the ?rst authoritati!e HARIHAR BHA88A2HAR==A *+ comments on

Indian federalism and descri#ed the Indian constitution as Ga system of go!ernment


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he did not fail to identify the HARIHAR BHA88A2HAR==A *4 critical aspects of Indian

federalism, and the forces


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many dangerous predictions made a#out IndiaJs disintegration found in such


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*;-4" But this crisis in Indian federalism


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regional go!ernment, and therefore there too place a #alanced operation of the

IndiaJs federal system during the anata phase @Ray *;D4: *&4" .5BA85 SI(25 8H5

*;D'S 8he most distincti!e aspects of the de#ates on Indian federalism since the

*;D's are that apart from the persistent issue of statesJ rights, regional and local

identities, and decentralisation ha!e continuously #een the focussed" 8he ocial

commissions set up for the purpose,


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country" For, e!ery urge for autonomy is not di!isi!e, #ut most pro#a#ly a

complementary forceC it


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has percei!ed the issue of federalism in India ects of PresidentJs Rule in the States in India"6oing against all the e%isting accounts, he said although the increased freuency of

PresidentJs rule @Art" E&+ of the Indian 2onstitution, particularly since the si%ties,

ha!e resulted in the reduction in state autonomy, this reduction has not meant

e>ecti!e central control o!er state politics or e>ecti!e centralisation of po


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of ho< a recogni)ed and secure identity rather than causing secessionism can #e a

factor for economic de!elopment" 3hat has #een the political impact of regional

accommodation of identityW Has it meant only the regionalisation of politicsW Is the

national identity a lost terrainW 8he a!aila#le researches do not suggest so" 8he

presence of the region on the national scene is seen #y many as positi!e, as part of

the process of community formation and empoect of such process in that IndiaJs

representati!e democracy has mo!ed closed to the people


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political practice for such representati!e institutions throughout India" .emocracy

rather than ethnicity is thus the legitimacy #asis of such political institutions" .as

6upta @Mohli /''*: -; has termed this Gdemocratic responsi!eness to cultural

di>erences in India" Second, going #eyond the a#o!e, I ha!e argued elseer 8 eds" Intergo!ernmental Fiscal Relations in Fragmented Societies @Fri#ourg:

Institute of Federalism, /''' Bhattacharyya H, India s a 0ulticultural Federation:

Asian 9alues .emocracy and .ecentralisation @In 2omparison


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Foundations of Indian Federalism @Bom#ay: Asia Pu#lishing House, *;+4 Bom#


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@(e< .elhi: Segments, *;;D 0itra, S M and Singh, 9 B .emocracy and Social

2hange in India @(e< .elhi: Sage Pu#lications, *;;;, chapter &: G8he .ialectics of

(ation and Region in Indian Politics, pp *&&$4; 0orris$ones, 3 H, Parliament in

India @Hydera#ad: 7rient Longman, *;&4 0orris$ones 3 H, 8he 6o!ernment and

Politics of India @Hamshire, UM: 8he 5othen Press, *;D4, Erd edn 0uherNee, B"

Regionalism in Indian Perspecti!e @2alcutta: M P Bagchi 2o, *;;/ (am#udripad, 50 S, G (ational Political Bacground of Indian Federalism in Murian and 9arughese

eds" @*;D* 7p cit" (ossiter, 8 , 2ommunism in Merala @.elhi: 7UP, *;D/ (ossiter 8

, 0ar%ist State 6o!ernments in India @London and (e< =or: Pinter Pu#lishers,

*;DD Ram, 0" Hindi Against India @ (e< .elhi: Rachna, *;+D Rao, 6 R S,

Regionalism in India @(e< .elhi: S 2hand and 2o, *;4&" Rao, M 9, Parliamentary

.emocracy in India @2alcutta: 3orld Press P!t Ltd, *;+* Reddy, R 6 and Sharma, B

A, Regionalism in India: A Study of 8elengana @(e< .elhi: 2oncept, *;4; Rudolph L

and Rudolph, S, In Pursuit of Lashmi: 8he Political economy of the Indian State

@2hicago: 2hicago Uni!ersity Press, *;D4 Sarar, A, Regionalism, State and the

5merging Political Patterns of India @2alcutta: Firma M L 0, *;;* Sen 6upta B,

2ommunism in Indian Politics @(e< =or: 2olum#ia Uni!ersity Press, *;4/ Singh, 6,

2ommunism in PunNa# @.elhi: ANanta, *;;E Saar, S, 0odern India @*;DD&$*;-4

@(e< .elhi: 0acmillan, *;DE 9iNapur A P ed" .imensions of Federal (ation$Building

@(e< .elhi: 0ana Pu#lications, *;;D 3allace, P ed" Region and (ation in India

@ .elhi: 7UP, *;D& 3atts, R L, (e< Federations 5%periments in the 2ommon

federalism and regionalism in india

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