Regional Aspirations

Class 12 Political Science

1. Short Questions’ Answers:

(a) Write the full form of NEFA

Ans:-North-East Frntier Agency

(b) Which party is the first regional party to form government in state?

Ans:- DMK

(c) Who was Hari Singh?

Ans:- Hari Singh was the princely ruler of Jammu and Kashmir.

(d) Which article of Indian constitution has given more power to Jammu and Kashmir?

Ans:- Articl 370 

(e) In which year Akali Dal in Punjab formed?

Ans:- In 1920 

(f) Write full form of MNF.

Ans:- Mizo National Front

(g) Who was Laldenga.

Ans:- Laldenga was the founder and leader of the Mizo National Front.

(h) Write two reasons responsible for growing importance of regional political parties in Indian Politics.

Ans:- Two reasons are:

(i) Negligence of central government 

(ii) Regional Imbalance

(iii) Delay in solving problem

(i) Write two causes of origin of regionalism in India.

Ans:- Two causes are:

(i) Regional imbalance 

(ii) Crisis of identity 

(iii) Delay in solving problems.

(j) Mention any four regional political parties of India. HS-2012, 2015, 2017

Ans:- (i) Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) of Assam

(ii) National Conference of Jammu & Kashmir

(iii) Shiv Sena of Maharashtra

(iv) Telegu Desam Party of Andra Pradesh

(v) Dravidra Munetra Kazhagam of Tamil Nadu.

2. Write a short note on Jammu and Kashmir.

Ans:- (i) Jammu and Kashmir comprises three social and political regions: Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

(ii) The heart of the kashmir region is the Kashmir Valley; the people are kashmir speaking and mostly muslim with a small Kashmiri speaking Hindu minority. 

(iii) Jammu region is a mix of foothills and plains, of Hindu, muslims and Sikhs and speakers of various languages.

The Ladakh region is mountainous, has very little population which is equally divided beteen Buddists and Muslims.

(iv) The ‘Kashmir Issue’ is not just a dispute between India and Pakistan. This issue has external and internal dimensions. It involves the issue of Kashmiri identity known as Kashmiriyat and the aspirations of people of Jammu & Kashmir for Political autonomy.

 

3. What are the problems of Jammu and Kashmir.

Ans:- (i) Before 1947, Jammu and Kashmir was a princely state. Its is in the ruler, Hari Singh, did not want to merge with India and tried to negotiate with India and Pakistan to have an independent status for his state. The Pakistani leaders thought the Kashmir region belonged to Pakistan, since majority population of the state was Muslim. 

(ii) The popular movement in the state, led by Sheikh Abdullah of the National Conference, wanted to get rid of the Maharaja, but was against joining Pakistan. The National Conference was a secular organization and had a long association with the Congress. Sheikh Abdullah was  a personal friend of some of the leading nationalist leaders including Nehru.

(iii) In October 1947, Pakistan sent tribal infiltrators from its side to capture Kashmir. This forced the Maharaja to ask for Indian military help. India extended the military support and drove back the infiltrators from Kashmir valley, but only after the Maharaja and signed an ‘Instrument of Accession’ with the Government of India.

(iv)  Sheikh Abdullah took over as the Prime Minister of the State of Jammu & Kashmir (the head of the government in the state was then Prime Minister) in March 1948. India agreed to maintain the autonomy of Jammu & Kashmir.

4. External and internal disputes of Jammu and Kashmir.

Ans:- Externally Pakistan has always claimed that Kashmir valley should be part of Pakistan. Pakistan sponsored a tribal invasion of the states in 1947, as a consequence of which one part of the state came under Pakistan control.

(ii) India claims that this area is under illegal occupation. Pakistan describes this area as ‘Azad Kashmir’. Ever since 1947, Kashmir has remained a major issue of conflict between India and Pakistan. Internal there is a dispute about the status of Kashmir within the Indian Union. 

(iii) Article 370 gives greater autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir compared to other states of India. The state has its own constitution. All provisions of the Indian constitution are not applicable to the state. Laws passed by the parliament apply to Jammu & Kashmir only if the state agrees.

(iv)  This special status has provoked two opposite reactions. There is a section of people outside of Jammu & Kashmir that believes that the special status of the state conferred by Article 370 does not allow full integration of the state with India. This section feels that Article 370 should therefore be revoked and Jammu & Kashmir should be like any other state in India.

(v) Another section, mostly Kashmiris, believe that the autonomy conferred by Article 370 is not enough. A section of Kashmir have expressed at least three major grievance.

5. Write a short note on Punjab.

Ans:- Punjab had to wait till 1966 for the creating of a Punjabi speaking state. The Akali Dal, which was formed in 1920 as the political wing of the Sikhs, had led the movement for the formation of a ‘Punjabi Suba’. This Sikhs were now a majority in the truncated state of Punjab. 

After the reorganization, the Akalis come to power in 1967 and then in 1977. On both the occasions it was a coalition government. The Akalis discovered that despite the redrawing of the boundaries, their political position remained precarious.

Firstly, their government was dismissed by the centre midway through its term.

Secondly, they did not enjoy strong support among the Hindus.

Thirdly, the Sikh community, like all other religious communities, was internally differentiated on caste and class lines. The Congress got more support among the Dalits, whether Hindu or Sikh, than the Akalis.

Anandpur Sahib Resolution:-

Anandpur Sahib Resolution was passed at the conference of Akali Dal at Anandpur Sahib in 1973.

(a) To ascertain regional autonomy and to redefine centre state relations.

(b) Sikhs aspirations aimed at ‘bolbala’ of Sikhs.

(c) It could also be interpreted as a plea for separate Sikh nation despite federal spirit.

But, it became controversial due to following reasons:

1. Due to lack of popularity of Akali Dal resolution had a united appeal.

2. Akali government was dismissed in 1980 and it lost its importance.

3. Akali Dal launched a movement on the distribution of water between Punjab and its neighbouring states.

4. Movement went into the hands of extremist elements from moderate Akalis and converted into armed insurgency for which Anandpur Sahib Resolution considered responsible.

6. Discuss briefly the cycle of violence in Punjab.

Ans:- The leadership of the movement passed from the moderate Akalis to the extremist elements and took the from armed insurgency. These military made their headquarters inside the Sikh holy shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar and turned it into an armed fortress. In June 1984, the Government of India carried out ‘Operation Blue Star’, code name for army action in the Golden Temple.

(ii) In this operation, the Government could successfully flush out the militant, but it also damaged the historic temple and deeply hurt the sentiments of the Sikhs. A large proportion of Sikhs in India and abroad saw the military operation as an attack on their faith and this gave further impetus to militant and extremist groups.

(iii) Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated on 31st October 1984 outside her residence by her bodyguards. Both the assassins were Sikhs and wanted to take revenge for operation Bluestar. While the entire country was shocked by this development, in Delhi and in many parts of northern India violence broke out against the Sikh community. The violence against the Sikhs continued for almost a week.

(iv) More than two thousand Sikhs were killed in the national capital, the area worst affected by this violence. Hundreds of Sikhs were killed in other parts of the country, especially in places like Kanpur, Bokaro and Chas. Many Sikh families lost their male members and thus suffered great emotional and heavy financial loss. What hurt the Sikhs most was that the government took a long time in restoring normalcy and that the perpetrators of this violence were not effectively punished. Twenty years later, speaking in the parliament in 2005. Prime Minister Manmohan Sigh expressed regret over these killings and apologised to the nation for the anti-Sikh violence.

7. How Peace established in Punjab.

Ans:- (i) After coming to power following the election in 1984, the new Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi initiated a dialogue with moderate Akali leaders. In July 1985, he reached an agreement with Harchand Singh Longowal, then the President of the Akali Dal. This agreement known as the Rajiv Gandhi-Langowal Accord or the Punjab Accord, was a step towards bringing normalcy to Punjab.

(ii) It was agreed that Chandigarh would be transferred to Punjab, a separate commission would be appointed to resolve the border dispute between Punjab and Haryana, and a tribunal would be set up to decide the sharing of Ravi-Beas river water among Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. This agreement also provided for compensation to and better treatment of those affected by the militancy in Punjab and the withdrawal of the application of Armed forces special powers Act in Punjab.

8. Write a short note on North-Eastern Region.

Ans:- (i) North-East consists of seven states, also referred to as the ‘seven sisters’. The region has only 4 per cent of the country’s population but about twice as much share of its area. A small corridor of about 22 Kilometers connects the region to the rest of the country. Otherwise the region shares boundaries with China, Myanmar and Bangladesh and serves as India’s gateway to south East Asia.

(ii) The region has witnessed a lot of change since 1947. Tripura, Manipur and Khasi Hills od Meghalaya were erstwhile princely state which merged with India after indepencence. The entire region of North-East has undergone considerable political reorganisation. Nagaland state was created in 1963; Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya in 1972 while Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh became separate states only in 1987.

(ii) The partition of India in 1947 had reduced the North-East to a land locked region and affected its economy, cut off from the rest of India, the region suffered neglect in development terms. Its politics too remained insulated. At the same time, most states in this region underwent major demographic changes due to influx of migrants from neighbouring states and countries.

Demands for autonomy:- 

(i) Demands for political autonomy arose the Assam government was imposing Assamese language on them. There were opposition and protect riots throughout the state. Leaders of the major tribal communities wanted to separate from Assam. They formed the Eastern India Tribal Union which later thansformed into a more comprehensive All Party Hill Leaders Conference in 1960.

(ii) They demanded a tribal state to be carved out of Assam. Finally instead of one tribal state, several states got carved out of Assam. At defferent points of time the Central Government had to create Meghalaya, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh out of Assam. Tripura and Manipur were upgraded into states too.

(iii) The reorganization of the North-East was completed by 1972. But this was not the end of autonomy demands in this region. In Assam, for example, communities like the Bodos, Karbis and Dimasas wanted separate states. They worked for this demand by mobilising public opinion and popular movement as well as through insurgency.

(iv) Therefore some other provision of our federal set up were used to satisfy their autonomy demands while remaining in Assam. Karbis and Dimasas have been granted autonomy under District council while Bodos were recently granted Autonomous Council.

Secessionist Movements:- (i) After Independence, the Mizo Hills area was made an autonomous district within Assam. Some Mizos believed that they were never a part of British India and therefore did not belong to the Indian Union. But the movement for secession gained popular support after the Assam government failed to respond adequately to the great famine of 1959 in Mizo hills. The Mizo’s anger led to the formation of the Mizo National Front (MNF) under the leadership of Laldenga.

(ii) In 1966 the MNF started on armed campaign for independence. Thus, started a two decade long battle between Mizo insurgents and the Indian Army. The MNF fought a guerilla war, got support from Pakistani government and secured shelter in the then East Pakistan. The Indian security force countered it with a series of repressive measures of which the common people were the victims.

(iii) In 1986 a peace agreement was signed between Rajiv Gandhi and Laldenga. As per this accord Mizoram was granted full-fledged statehood with special powers and the MNF agreed to give up Seccessionist struggle. Laldenga took over as the Chief Minister. This accord proved a turning point in the history of Mizoram. Today Mizoram is one of the most peaceful places in the region and has taken big strides in literacy and development.

(iv) The story of Nagaland is similar ro Mizoram, except that it started much earlier and has not yet had such a happy ending. Led by Angame Zaphu Phizo, a section of the Nagas declared independent from India way back in 1951. Phizo turned down many offers of negotiated settlement. The Naga National Council launched an armed struggle for sovereignty of Nagas. After a period of violent insurgency a section of the Nagas signed an agreement with the Government of India but this was not acceptable to other rebels. The problem in Nagaland still awaits o final resolution.

*Movement against Outsiders:- (i) Assam movement from 1979 to 1985 is the best example against ‘outsiders’. The Assamese suspected that there were huge numbers of illegal Bengali Muslim settlers from Bangladesh. They felt that unless these foreign national are detected and deported they would reduce the indigenous Assamese into a minority. There were other economic issues too. There was widespread poverty and unemployment in Assam despite that existence of natural resources like oil, tea and coal. It was felt that these were drained out of the state without any commensurate benefit to the people.

(ii) In 1979 the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), a students’ groups not affiliated to any party, led an anti-foreigner movement. The movement was against illegal migrations, against domination of Bengalis and other outsiders, and against faulty voters’ register that included the names of lakhs of immigrants. The movement demanded that all outsiders who had entered the state after 1951 should be sent back.

(iii) The agitation followed many novel methods and mobilized all sections of Assamese people, drawing support across the states. It also invaded many tragic and violent incidents leading to loss of property and human lives. The movement also tried to blockade the movement of trains and the supply of oil from Assam to refineries in Bihar.

(iv) After six years of turmoil, the Rajiv-led government entered into negotiations with the AASU leaders, leading to the signing of an accord in 1985. According to this agreement those foreigners who migrated into Assam during and after Bangladesh war and since, were to be identified and deported. With the successful completion of the movement, the AASU and the Asom Gana Sangram Parishad organised themselves as a regional political party call Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). It came to power in 1985 with the promise of resolving the foreign national problem as well as to build a ‘Golden Assam’.

(v) Assam Accord brought peace and changed the face of politics in Assam, but it did not solve the problem of immigration. The issue of the ‘outsiders’ continues to be a like issue in the politics of Assam. And many other places in the North-East.

9. What are the four lessons that we learn from the chapter?

Ans:- First and the most elementary lesson is that regional aspirations are very much a part of democratic politics. Expression of regional issues is not an aberration or an abnormal phenomenon. Even in smaller countries like the United Kingdom there are regional aspirations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Spain faces Secessionist in movement from the Bosques and so does Sri Lanka from the Tamils.

(ii) The second lesson is that the best way to respond to regional aspirations is through democratic negotiation rather than through suppression. Look at the situation in the eighties, militancy had erupted in Punjab; Problems were persisting in the North-East; students in Assam were agitating; Kashmir valley was on the boil. Instead of treating these as simple law and order problems, the Government of India reached negotiated settlement with regional movements.

(iii) The third lesson is about the significance of power sharing. It is not sufficient to have a formal democratic structure. Besides that, groups and parties from the region need to be given share in power at the state level. Similarly, it is not sufficient to say that the states or the regions have autonomy in their matters. The regions together from the nation. So, the regions must have a share in deciding the destiny of the nation.

(iv) The fourth lesson is that regional imbalance in economic  development contribute to the feeling of regional discrimination. Regional imbalance is a fact of India’s development experience. Naturally, the backward states or backward regions in some states basis and that the policies of the Indian government have caused this imbalance.

Finally these cases make us appreciate the farsightedness of the makers of our constitution in dealing with questions of diversity. The federal system adopted by India is a flexible arrangement. While most of the states have equal powers, there are special provisions for some states like Jammu & Kashmir and the states in the North-East.

Dr. Ratanlal Brahma, M.A., B.Ed., M.Phil., Ph.D.
Post Graduate Teacher (Political Science)
H.N.Seminary Model HS School, Bagribari, Dhubri, Assam
Email : brahmaratan@gmail.com
Whatsapp no. : 7020477396