In this article you will learn about What is Regionalism in Political Science.
What is Regionalism ?
In its positive sense, regionalism means the love for one’s area of living or a particular region to which one belongs and this is something very natural. For example, the inhabitants of West Bengal love their language and culture, and there is nothing unusual or wrong about it. To secure the interests of their state, it is a natural objective before all its inhabitants. This type of regionalism has to be accepted and followed as a natural feature of federal India. In this category, all excessive movements and demands directed against centralism, particularly excessive centralism, and in favour of decentralisation and financial autonomy of states can also be included.
But, in its negative sense and also in its present form, regionalism means love for one’s own region over and above the interests of the nation as a whole. In this sense a region is taken to mean a particular territorial area whose inhabitants have close social, economic, cultural, linguistic, historical and religious links among them, and who consider themselves different from other areas and their people. When the people of a region make regional and narrow demands which are opposed to the likes and interests of the other regions or the country as a whole, it tantamounts to aggressive and negative regionalism. It constitutes a big strain upon national interests and limits the strength of the nation as a whole.
The Challenge of Regionalism
Regionalism has been customarily present in India. The adoption of federal structure has been governed by this factor. However, its emergence as a limiting factor of Indian democracy has been a post-independence phenomenon. The constitution makers were completely conscious of the need to keep the forces of regionalism under check. Therefore, they provided for a unitary spirit in the Indian federal system. The mixed system was considered a desirable means for channelising regional forces into the national mainstream. Unfortunately, the system has not proved to be completely successful in producing the desired results. The emergence and growth of demands for separate independent states out of India, demands for full statehood for different areas, demands for regional autonomy, and advocacy of regional interests over and above the national interests, all reflect the presence of strong and even dirty and parochial regionalism in India.
Forms of Regionalism
Regionalism has been a big hindrance in the process of nation-building and national integration and it also continues to plague the Indian political system in several forms.
1. Demands for separate provinces/states within India
A popular brand of regionalism in India has been in the form of a demand for separate statehood in the Indian Union. After the 1956 reorganisation of states of India, there still continues to be demands for separate provinces and statehood in various parts of the country. This rise in the number of states of the Indian Union from 16 in 1956 to 25 in 1989 and to 28 in 2000 tends to validate this statement.
In 1960, the bilingual state of Bombay was divided into Maharashtra and Gujarat. In 1963, the state of Nagaland was carved out of Assam. In 1966, Punjab was reorganised into Punjabi speaking Punjab; Hindi speaking Haryana; and Hilly areas into Himachal Pradesh. Chandigarh and H.P., were made Union Territories and Punjab and Haryana came to be two separate states. In 1969, the State of Meghalaya was formed out of Assam. Later on, Goa, Himachal, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura and Sikkim became full fledged states of the Union. In 2000, the States of Jharkhand were created out of Bihar, Uttarakhand out of UP, Chhattisgarh out of MP, Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh. Now the people of Gorkhaland and Vidharbha have been demanding separate states. Some more demands for the creation of separate new states still continue to be there.
2. Demand for Regional Autonomy within a State
In some of the states of the Indian Union, people belonging to several regions have been demanding recognition of their regional cultures and identities. The genesis of such demands lies in the regional imbalances resulting from an uneven development and progress of some parts of some states. In West Bengal, the Gorkhaland demand was based on this principle and even demands for Konkan and Bodoland states can be also placed under this head. Now these demands have transformed into demands for the grant of separate regional autonomy and statehoods.
3. Inter-State Disputes as a manifestation of Regionalism
The forces of regionalism in India are also visible in the inter-state dispute. For instance, the states of Haryana and Punjab remain involved in a dispute over the issue of transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab and certain areas of Abohar and Fazilka to Haryana. The boundary disputes between Karnataka and Maharashtra on Belgaum, between Kerala and Karnataka on Kasargod, between Nagaland and Assam on Rangma reserved forests in Rangapani area, between Maghalaya and Assam on Langpih, Jingiran and Hakumari river areas of Garo hills, and between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on Pasighat area, are manifestations of regionalism. To this we can add the inter-state river water disputes between Haryana and Punjab over the issue of distribution of Ravi-Beas and Sutlej waters, the dispute between Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra on issue of sharing of Narmada water and dispute among Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the distribution of Cauvery waters, again reflect regionalism. Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka have been involved in disputes over Godavari waters. The states which are parties to these disputes act under the influence of regionalism and each wants to gain over and above the other.
This article on What is Regionalism in Political Science is contributed by Dipshikha Anand. If you like LawStudyPoint.com do follow us on our Twitter handle.