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REGIONAL ASPIRATIONS PRESENTED BY- SADHNA SHARMAHEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT(POLITICAL SCIENCE)

REGIONAL ASPIRATIONSSADHNA SHARMA

REGIONAL MOVEMENTS INVOLVE-1 Armed assertion by the people.

2 Their repression by the government.

3 A collapse of the political electoral process.

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BASIC PRINCIPLE OF THE INDIAN APPROACH TO DIVERSITY-1 The Indian nation shall not deny the right of different regions and linguistic groups to retain their own culture.2 Even Indian nationalism sought to balance the principles of unity and diversity.

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HOW DO REGIONAL MOVEMENTS CONCLUDE?In negotiated settlements or accords b/w the Central government and the groups leading the movement for autonomy.

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CHALLENGE OF DIVERSITY MET BY INDIAN NATIONThe challenge of diversity was met by redrawing the internal boundaries of the country. For example the states of Punjab and Haryana were created in 1966.

The states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Uttaranchal were created in 2000.

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DESCRIPTION OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR-Kashmir Region- The heart of the Kashmir region is Kashmir Valley, the people are Kashmiri speaking and mostly Muslim with a small Kashmiri speaking Hindu minority.Jammu Region- It is a mixed of foothills and plains, of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs and speakers of various languages.Ladakh Region- This region is mountainous and has very little population which is equally divided b/w Buddhist and Muslims.SADHNA SHARMA

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NATURE OF KASHMIR -The Kashmir issue is always seen as a major issue b/w India and Pakistan. But the political situation is the state has many dimensions.The issue has external and internal dimensions. It involves the issue of Kashmir identity known as Kashmiriyat and the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir for political autonomy.

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SIGNIFICANCE OF ARTICLE 370 OF OUR CONSTITUTION-

1 Article 370 of the Constitution signifies special status for Kashmir.2 Article 370 gives greater autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir.3 It also specifies that the state has its own Constitution.4 All provisions of the constitution are not applicable to the state.

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VARIOUS POSITIONS ON THE ISSUE OF REGIONAL AUTONOMY FOR KASHMIRThe state of Jammu and Kashmir comprises three distinct geographical units i.e. Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh. Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession on 26th October, 1947 and thus Jammu and Kashmir became a part of India. Article 370 is included in the Indian Constitution in order to satisfy the political aspirations of Jammu and Kashmir. Article 370 gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The state of Jammu and Kashmir has its own constitution, separate flag and separate law of citizenship. Changes in Article 370 can be made by the Parliament but with the consent of the government of Jammu and Kashmir.SADHNA SHARMA

TWO OPPOSITE VIEWSThis special status of Jammu and Kashmir has provoked two opposite reactions. One view is that Article 370 should be scrapped and should be removed from the constitution Some people favor retaining Article 370 in the constitution.

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WHICH OF THE VIEW IS JUSTIFIABLE-In our opinion special status given to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 should be maintained due to the following reasons-Scrapping of Article 370 would be a breach of faith not only with the leaders of National Conference, but also with the Constituent Assembly of the state and the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

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Article 370 can be scrapped only by the method of amendment in the constitution which is not easy because National Parties like Indian National Congress, CPI, and CPI (M) favor the retention of Article 370.

With the passage of time many parts of India constitution particularly I, II, III and the Preamble are applicable to Jammu and Kashmir with certain modifications.

Under- IV Amendment Act 1963 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir the Judges of the High Court can be transferred from one state to the other state.

The Supreme Court of India is supreme and final court for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. SADHNA SHARMA

Articles 356 and 357 of the Indian Constitution have been extended to Jammu and Kashmir. The financial relations b/w Union and Jammu and Kashmir are the same as are b/w the Union and other states.On the basis of above discussion regarding Article 370 it is clear that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India but it enjoys special status and a unique position in the Indian Constitution. Under the present circumstances it is not easy to scrap or to delete Article 370. It is only possible when political parties and people of Jammu and Kashmir demand the scrapping of Article 370.SADHNA SHARMA

ROLE OF CONGRESS IN THE POLITICS OF JAMMU AND KASHMIRDuring most of the period b/w 1953 and 1974 the congress exercised a lot of influence on the politics of the Jammu and Kashmir.1 National Conference remained in power with the support of Congress for sometime but later it merged with the Congress.2 The Congress gained direct control over the government in the state.

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3 The Congress Party also made several attempts to reach an agreement b/w Sheikh Abdullah and the Government of India.4 Finally in 1974 Indira Gandhi reached an agreement with Sheikh and he became the Chief Minister of the state.

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DIFFERENT FORMS OF SEPARATIST POLICIES OF KASHMIRThe different forms of separatist policies of Kashmir are-1 There are some separatists who want Kashmir as independent state.2 There are some separatists who want Kashmir to merge with Pakistan.3 Besides these, there are many groups who wants greater autonomy for the people of Kashmir within the Indian Union.4 Therefore, the demand for the intra-state autonomy is as strong as the demand for the state autonomy.But, later in present scenario instead of demanding a separate nation, most of the separatists in dialogue are trying to re-negotiate a relationship of the state with India.SADHNASHARMA

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DRAVIDIAN MOVEMENT-

The Dravidian movement was one of the first regional movements in Indian politics.1 This movement did not take to arms. It used democratic means like public debates and the electoral platform to achieve its ends.2 When the leaders realized that the creation of Independent Dravid State was not possible, then they took this demand back and started working for getting more autonomy for the state with in Federal structure of India. 3 And this strategy paid off as the movement acquired political power in the state and also became influential at the national level.In this way the movement led to the formation of Dravid Kazhagam (DK) under the leadership of Tamil Social Reformer E.V Ramasamy Periyar.

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Even Today the two most important political parties of Tamil Nadu DMK and AIADMK were the supporter of giving more autonomy to the state within the Indian Union and were playing an important role in regional and national politics.

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ANANDPUR SAHIB RESOLUTIONSADHNA SHARMA

ANANDPUR SAHIB RESOLUTION There are many reasons to be controversial of Anandpur Sahib Resolution. Some of them are as under-1 It was in this context that during the 1970s a section of Akalis began to demand political autonomy for the region. This was reflected in a resolution passed at their conference at Anandpur Sahib Resolution in 1973.2 The Anandpur Sahib Resolution asserted regional autonomy and wanted to redefine centre-state relationship in the country.3 The Resolution also spoke of the aspiration of the Sikh qaum and declared its goal as attaining the bolbala of the Sikhs.

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4 The Resolution was a plea for strengthening Federalism, but it could also be interpreted as a plea for a separate Sikh nation.5 The resolution had a limited appeal among the Sikh masses. A few years later, after the Akali Government has been dismissed in 1980, the Akali Dal launched a movement on the question of the distribution of water b/w Punjab and its neighboring states.Soon, the leadership of the movement passed from the moderate Akalis' to the Extremist elements and took the form of armed insurgency. Thus, in this background the Anandpur Sahib Resolution became controversial as it was held responsible for the insurgency in Punjab.

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PROBLEM OF PUNJAB IN THE CONTEXT OF OPERATION BLUE STARThe leadership of Akali Movement passed from the moderate Akalis to extremist elements which took the form of armed insurgency.2. Some of these militants made their headquarter inside the holy shrine the Golden Temple in Amritsar. 3. In June 1984, the Government of India carried out Operation Blue Star code name for army action in the Golden Temple.

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4. In this operation, the government could successfully flush out the militants, but it also damaged the historic temple and deeply hurt the sentiments of the Sikhs.5. 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.

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ASSASSINATION OF INDIRA GANDHISADHNA SHARMA

MURDER OF INDIRA GANDHI1. Still more tragic turn of events complicated the Punjab problem further.2. The Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated on 31 October 1984 outside her residence by her bodyguards.3. Both the assassins were Sikhs and wanted to take revenge for Operation Blue Star. 4. The entire country was shocked with this development and in response in Delhi and other parts of Northern India violence broke out against the Sikh community.

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5. The violence against the Sikhs continued for almost one week.6. More than two thousand Sikhs were killed in the National Capital, the area worst affected by this violence.7. Hundreds of Sikhs were killed in other parts of the country like Kanpur and Bokaro.8. Many Sikh families lost their male members and thus suffered a great financial loss.

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REGRET OF PRIME MINISTER MANMOHAN SINGH20 years later, speaking in the Parliament in 2005, Prime Minister ManMohan Singh expressed regret over these killing and apologized to the nation for the anti-Sikh violence.

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MAIN PROVISIONS OF PUNJAB ACCORD-The Punjab Accord was an agreement signed b/w the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Harchand Singh Longowal. This agreement is known as the Rajiv Gandhi-Longowal Accord or the Punjab Accord.

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MAIN PROVISIONS OF THIS ACCORD- 1 Under this accord it was agreed that Chandigarh would be transferred to Punjab.2 A separate Commission would be appointed to solve the border dispute b/w Punjab and Haryana.3 A tribunal would be set up to decide the sharing of Ravi-Beas water among Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.4 Haryana will be given Rs 1000 crore to build its own separate capital.5 Adequate compensation will be given to the families affected due to militancy in Punjab.6 Armed Force Special Powers Act in Punjab would be withdrawn.7 The elections of Legislative Assembly shall be held soon in Punjab.

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However peace did not come easily. The cycle of violence continued nearly for a decade.1 Militancy and counter insurgency violence led to excesses by the police and violation of the human Rights.2 Politically it led to the fragmentation of Akali Dal.3 Thus the Central Government had to impose President Rule in the state and normal electoral and political process was suspended.4 It was not easy to restore the political process in the atmosphere of suspicion and violence. For Example when elections were held in Punjab in 1992, only 24% of the electors turned out to vote. After this the Assembly elections were held in Punjab in 1997 in which Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP alliance got majority and coalition government was formed under the leadership of S. Parkash Singh Badal.

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SEVEN SISTERS-The North-East region which consists of seven states- Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram is referred to as seven sisters. This region has only 4% of the countrys population.

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REGIONAL ASPIRATIONSALL REGIONAL MOVEMENTS NEED NOT LEAD TO SEPARATIST DEMANDS.There is a great reality that all regional movements need not lead to separatist demands.1. The inhabitants of Mizo Hills in Assam demanded secession from the Indian union and established Mizo National Front to get their demands fulfilled.2. The Mizo organized armed agitation and commenced guerilla warfare.3.The MNF was banned during Chinese aggression..

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4. The government, keeping their aspirations in view decided to make Mizo hill area a U.T., which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi on 21st January, 1972. 5. It was named Mizoram. 6. However, Mizo headed by Laldenga was not satisfied with this agreement.7. Ultimately in 1986, a peace agreement between Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Laldenga.8. Under this agreement Mizoram was elevated from the status of a Union Territory to be the 23rd state of India. Laldenga was made the Chief Minister of Mizoram.

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Not only this in the 80s militancy had erupted in Punjab, 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.All these examples show that the meaningful and justified regional movement need not lead to separatist demands or encouraged to separatism.

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ASSAM MOVEMENT

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ASSAM MOVEMENT WAS A COMBINATION OF CULTURAL PRIDE AND ECONOMIC BACKWARDNESS1. Assam movement was a combination of cultural and economic backwardness because it was against outsiders to maintain the cultural integration of Assam. 2. Besides, there was economic problem also due to foreigners. In Assam there was unemployment and poverty and Assamese considers foreigners responsible for economic problems.

3. In 1979 the All Assam Student Union, led anti-foreigner movement and their demands werea) The people who have come illegally from Bangladesh should be sent back.b) All outsiders who had entered the state after 1951 should be sent back.c) The names entered illegally in the voters list should be detected.d) The dominance of Non-Assamese in civil administration should be ended.

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4. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi made serious efforts to solve the problems of foreigners. Negotiations took place in March 1985 and ultimately an agreement was signed on 15 August 1985, by the Assam agitation leaders and Union Home Affair secretary.

5. Under this agreement the base date for the detention and deletion of foreigners was fixed as 1 January 1966. All the persons who come to Assam after 1 January, 1966 and before 24 March, 1971 were to be detected in accordance with the Foreigners Act 1946.

6. The names of all such persons were to be deleted from the voters list for 10 years and thereafter these names were to be restored in the voters list.SADHNA SHARMA

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Assam Assembly elections were held in December 1986. Assam Gana Parishad a political party formed by the leader of AASU and Assam Gana Sangram Parishad, emerged victorious and formed government under Prafulla Kumar Mahanta.

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ASSAM ACCORDAssam Accord was signed b/w Rajiv Gandhi led government and AASU leaders over the issue of outsiders in 1985.1 According to this those foreigners who migrated into Assam during and after Bangladesh war and since, were to be identified and deported.2 As a follow up to the accord the AASU and the Asom Gana Sangram Parishad organized themselves as a regional party called Asom Gana Parishad.(AGP)3 It came to power in 1985 with the promise of resolving the foreign nationals as well as to build a Golden Assam.SADHNA SHARMA

ONE SIMILARITY AND ONE DIFFERENCE B/W THE CRISIS IN PUNJAB AND ASSAM DURING 1980SSIMILARITY-Assam Movement and Punjab Movement have one major similarity. The Assam Movement demanded that foreigners should be send back. The Assamese suspected that there were huge numbers of illegal Bengali Muslim settlers from Bangladesh. Similarly, Akali Dal led the movement in Punjab for the formation of Punjabi Suba to protect the interests of Punjabi. SADHNA SHARMA

DIFFERENCE-Assam Movement was against the foreigners i.e outsiders from Bangladesh. The movement was led by All Assam Students Union which was not affiliated to any political party. But Punjab Movement was led by Akali Dal for the formation of Punjabi Suba on the basis of language.

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WHEN AND HOW SIKKIM WAS MERGED IN INDIA?1 Sikkim was a protectorate of India. It meant that while it was not a part of India , it was also not a fully sovereign country . 2 Sikkims defence and foreign relations were looked after by India while the power of internal administration was with the Chogyal, Sikkims monarch. This arrangement ran into difficulty as Chogyal was unable to deal with the democratic aspirations of the people.3 An overwhelming majority of sikkims population was Nepali. But Chogyal was seen as perpetuating the rule of small elite from the minority Lepcha- Bhutia community. 4 The anti-Chogyal leaders of both the communities ought and got support from the government of India.

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5 The first democratic elections to Sikkim assembly in 1974 were swept by Sikkim Congress which stood for greater integration with India.6 The assembly first sought the status of associate state and then in April 1975 passed a resolution asking for full integration with India. 7 This was followed by referendum that put a stamp of popular approval of the assemblys request. 8 The Indian parliament accepted this request immediately and Sikkim became 22nd state of the Indian Union. 9 Chogyal did not accept this merger. Yet the merger enjoyed popular support and did not become divisive issue in Sikkims politics. SADHNA SHARMA

REGIONAL ASPIRATIONS FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF INDIA EXAMPLIFY THE PRINCIPLE OF UNITY WITH DIVERSITY/ LESSON WE DRAW FROM THE CHAPTER REGIONAL ASPIRATIONS/ LESSON WE LEARN FROM THE FEELING OF ALIENATION IN SOME PARTS OF INDIA.1.Regional Aspirations Are Part Of Democratic System- India is a largest democratic country in the world. To make democratic system successful it is essential that India should deal with regional aspirations on a regular basis because expression of regional aspiration is not an abnormal phenomenon. Even in small countries people are having regional aspirations.

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2.Best Way- Democratic negotiation is the best way to respond to the regional aspirations. Suppression of regional aspirations is not in the interest of national unity. For example-Mizoram problem was solved by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi through negotiations. Assam problem was solved by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi through negotiation with the leader of agitated group.

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3.Power Sharing- Regional aspirations can be fulfilled by sharing power. Every region should have an important role in deciding the destiny of the nation and to achieve this objective it is essential that regional parties or groups or leaders should share powers at the state level and even at the centre.

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4.Regional Imbalance In Economic Development- If some states economically developed rapidly and some states remain backward and poor, it leads to regional imbalance and inter-regional migration. People of backward states have lost faith in democracy and they follow the path of agitations, protests, movements, etc. For example Assam Movement on the issue of foreign nationals is the result of regional imbalance.

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5.Wisdom And Foresightedness Of The Makers Of The Constitution- Framers of the Indian constitution were not only wise but foresighted also in dealing with the problem of diversity. Federal system is adopted in India with flexibility.We can conclude very safely that regional demands from different parts of India exemplify the principle of unity with diversity.

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PROBLEM OF GOA-Goa was a colony of Portuguese and Portuguese suppressed the people of Goa during their rule. The people of Goa were denied Civil Rights. There was a strong popular movement within Goa for freedom. In December, 1961 the government of India sent the army which liberated Goa. Goa became Union Territory.

WHAT WAS THE DESIRE OF ONE SECTION ABOUT GOAS MERGER WITH MAHARASHTRA?Under the suppression of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak party (MGP), one section demanded that Goa as Marathi speaking area should merge with Maharashtra.SADHNA SHARMA

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OPINION POLL IN GOA 1967-In January 1967 Opinion Poll was held in Goa to decide whether people of Goa wanted to be a part of Maharashtra or remain separate. The majority of the people voted in favor of remaining outside Maharashtra as a result of which Goa continued as a Union Territory. In 1987, Goa was given the status of full state within the Union of India.

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