— Dileep P Chandran

(The Indian Express has launched a new series of articles for UPSC aspirants written by seasoned writers and scholars on issues and concepts spanning History, Polity, International Relations, Art, Culture and Heritage, Environment, Geography, Science and Technology, and so on. Read and reflect with subject experts and boost your chance of cracking the much-coveted UPSC CSE. In the following article, Dileep P Chandran delves into the concept of regionalism in India.)

On October 21, Sonam Wangchuk, a Ladakh-based activist, ended his indefinite fast after receiving a letter from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs regarding future discussions on the administration of the Union Territory. 

Wangchuk and other activists are advocating for increased autonomy in Ladakh’s governance. Their demand for greater autonomy is an example of regionalism, where specific regions seek to assert their identities, governance structures, and resources.

Moreover, the recent discussions on One Nation, One Election have further resurfaced debates about regionalism, highlighting the necessity of finding a balance between national unity and regional aspirations.

Regionalism is an ambiguous concept that has both positive and negative connotations. In a positive sense, it denotes people’s appreciation for their culture, language, region, etc. with a view to maintain an independent identity. In a negative sense, it implies excessive attachment to one’s region, which may pose a threat to unity and integrity of the nation. 

In both cases, regionalism reflects a shared sense of identity among people in a specific geographical area. It often originates among groups in particular areas due to distinct ethnic, linguistic, economic and cultural consciousness. Sanjib Baruah argues that, like nations, regions are ‘contested constructs’. Both the nation and the region are territorial projects, which can create potential tensions between the two.

The roots of regionalism in India can be traced back to the colonial period. While British rule imposed unity on colonised India, it also deepened regional disparities across the country. The British exploited these regional disparities to advance their “divide and rule” strategy. 

Later on, the demand for states organised along linguistic lines surfaced much before independence, as language became a marker of regional identity.

However, the trauma of partition compelled the national leaders to defer the division of regional units soon after independence, prioritising national unity over regional reorganisation. 

The unity of large countries like India and China is often challenged by secessionist movements and regional aspirations. For instance, China ensures its national unity through the constitutional principle of “One Country Two Systems”, originally proposed by Deng Xiaoping to integrate Hong Kong and Macau with mainland China. 

India, as a postcolonial nation, has also faced secessionist and separatist movements since the colonial era. However, compared to China, India has been relatively more successful in containing secessionist aspirations after independence. 

The first form of regionalism in post-independent India was the demand for the creation of linguistic states, sparked by the hunger strike of Potti Sriramalu, who fasted unto death in 1952. Moreover, the victory of the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) over the INC (Indian National Congress) in Tamil Nadu in the 1960s marked a turning point for regional political aspirations. 

Later on, the creation of the states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Uttarakhand in 2000, the formation of Telangana state separated from Andhra Pradesh in 2014, and the revocation of statehood from Jammu and Kashmir are some of the recent chapters in the trajectory of regional movements in India.

However, notwithstanding the growing outcry for regional aspirations, India has been able to ensure the unity of the country through its federal structure, recognition of multiple political, linguistic, and cultural identities, secularism, political alliances that incorporate regional political parties, and democracy. 

Moreover, the constitutional flexibility in creating new states has facilitated the accommodation of regionalism. Article 3 of the Indian Constitution empowers Parliament to form new states and alter existing states by a simple majority and without the need for the concurrence of the state concerned. The decision is left to the discretion of Parliament. 

The phenomenon of regionalism in India emerged primarily from the heterogeneous character of the nation. Regional demands for autonomy stem from various factors, including feelings of neglect towards particular areas, unequal distribution of resources, and the importance of cultural, ethnic, religious or linguistic identity. Additionally, ideologies and manipulation of popular sentiments in favour of a specific region or identity can sustain regionalist aspirations.

Regionalist tendencies are concretely expressed in religious, linguistic, economic, political, administrative, cultural, and ethnic terms. For example, the Dravidian movements in Tamil Nadu stemmed from linguistic identity. In the case of the Telangana movement in Andhra Pradesh, economic, development, and administrative issues were contributing factors. For the Bodoland movement in Assam, ethnic factors were significant. 

In addition, secessionism, separatism, and demand for state autonomy or full statehood are the major types of regionalism in post-independent India. Secessionism refers to the desire to withdraw from the union, often supported by militant or fundamentalist movements. 

Separatism advocates for the interests of a particular group within a larger entity, such as a state, based on language, religion, ethnicity, or other factors. Bodoland movement in Assam, Gorkhaland movement in West Bengal and Khalistan movement in Punjab are examples of separatist movements. Additionally, regional parties and Union Territories like NCT Delhi are demanding more autonomy and full statehood status. 

Furthermore, inter-state regionalism, intra-state regionalism, and supra-state regionalism are other major variants of regionalism in India. Inter-state regionalism creates divisions among two or more states whereas intra-state regionalism emerges from a specific state or region within a state seeking autonomy. Supra-state regionalism arises from shared interests among people residing in multiple states, with ethnic regionalism in the northeastern part of India serving as an example.

What is regionalism? What has been the basis for it in pre- and post-independent India?

How do cultural, ethnic, religious, or linguistic identities influence regionalist aspirations in India?

How did the concept of regionalism evolve in India following independence, particularly in relation to linguistic identity?

(Dileep P Chandran is an Assistant Professor at the department of Political Science in the University of Calicut, Kerala.) 

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