[Assam] Demands for Separate states in India

[Rajib Das]

Ramda,

Is it really for little or no reason that people end
up demanding more states? It almost always happens -
especially in the regional context - when aspirations
for large groups of people are not met.

A Telengana is perhaps a just demand for millions of
people being deprived of achieving their aspirations
in  the face of Telegu domination(or is it Reddy or
Kamma). Similarly the demands for Bodoland and Cachar
come about because their aspirations are not met at
the regional power centers. And that does not just
mean the power arms of the Indian government. 

It is the same as tribes (or communities) setting up
their own private armies in India's north east as much
as well as Somalia.

I don't see any harm in these movements for statehood.
This is how the jostling for power happens without
shedding blood and the best ideas that are mobilized
in the most effective manner win in a vaccuum of
leadership and ideas that meet everyone's aspirations.

Rajib 

 

--- Ram Sarangapani <assamrs at gmail.com> wrote:

> C'da,
> 
> I guess the gist of my thoughts is how some people
> in the country don't seem
> to realize that such demands lead to more and more
> divisions - of states,
> and mostly for little or no reason reason.
> 
> Let us take Assam as an example. What if Cachar
> dist.  tomorrow wanted a
> separate state for itself (or maybe a separate
> country in an 'undependent
> Assam)? Would we say that fine? To me it sounds like
> there is no end.
> 
> The Central govt. cannot be blamed for this all the
> time. "People" also have
> a responsibility to their country. Weak or corrupt
> ministers at the Center
> may cave into frivilous demands of this nature - but
> that certainly does not
> elevate the people at the state levels become immune
> from being a part of
> the problem.
> 
> I think the Constitution does allow for new states
> to be formed - and for
> good reason. There may be times when it is
> necessary. But, I guess, little
> did the framers know that every Yahoo one day would
> want his own state or
> country.
> 
> It all boils down to greed, power grabs etc by a few
> people in these states.
> They somehow manage to galvanize an unaware public
> into making such
> unreasonable demands from the Center mostly for
> personal gains.
> 
> Indira Gandhi managed to quell the Telengana demands
> - its back again, given
> the quality of Central and state ministers and their
> inability of not being
> able to put their foot down when necessary and when
> the interests of the
> country are at stake.
> 
> --Ram
> 
> 
> 
> On 8/23/06, Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at charter.net>
> wrote:
> >
> > 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)
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >_______________________________________________
> > >assam mailing list
> > >assam at assamnet.org
> >
>
>http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
> >
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>
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> 


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