[Assam] Demands for Separate states in India

[Chan Mahanta]

O' Ram:

Answers to your bewilderment could be found if and when you decide to 
look into:

A: WHY such demands for separate states have been arising.

Your conjecture " Does the equation boil down to a few people wanting 
the power of a state Govt. and to become 'caretakers'?" may have some 
merit. But it certainly is not ALL.

B: WHO is it that goes about CREATING such ever smaller 'states' ? 
And HOW can they do that? WHY do they do that?

CAN these ever smaller units SUSTAIN themselves? If not, WHO controls 
their sustenance and destiny? Holds them under its controls ? Should 
they be doing that? If not why do they do that? What is the rationale?

C: Does the much vaunted Indian Constitution have checks and balances against
politically motivated actions by an administration breaking up an 
existing unit, a state, to create smaller states ? If not, should it? 
And if it should WHO or HOW will such checks and balances be created? 
Do you see any trend for such?


c-da







At 6:29 PM -0500 8/23/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
>There is this trend in India of new 'states' being formed within the 
>Union every few years. The first breakup of states were in the 
>South, later we have seen Assam break up into smaller states, then 
>we have had Chattisgarh, Uttaranchal etc (these, I am not even 
>familiar with), then Punjab/Harayana.
>
>I think in the 60's Telengana wanted  to separate from Andhra. The 
>solution after all that agitation was to to make Chenna Reddy (I 
>think) the Chief Minister. There are now new demands, once again for 
>a separate Telengana state. In the NE, there are also some demands 
>for either more states or autonomy. Darjeeling wants to separate 
>from W. Bengal and so forth.
>
>This brings us to some questions:
>
>What exactly does 'statehood' do for a people (say Chattisgarh)? 
>From all we know, there is very little difference between 
>Chattisgarh and Bihar - so why was there a demand for statehood?
>Does the equation boil down to a few people wanting the power of a 
>state Govt. and to become 'caretakers'?
>Do these separate 'states' protect the local interests?
>
>If so, how deep and how many divisions do we need? Imagine Nalbari 
>or Jorhat seeking separate states?
>
>There are of course genuine differences - like maybe, Meghalaya and 
>Assam. Even though, many of us did not like for Meghalaya to be 
>separate, today it seems that maybe both Assam and Meghalaya are 
>better off (am not sure - but it looks that way, though).
>
>I am wondering, if in all this, India is losing the very essence it 
>was built on - ie. a country made up of people with different 
>hues and varying differences - living peacefully together and 
>thinking of the country as a whole.
>
>The way this trend is moving along, even a decentralized, autonomous 
>states solution may not work for India - as there may still be 
>demands for creating new autonomous powers and bodies.
>
>-- Ram (in utopia)
>
>
>
>
>
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