Of varieties of political processes that have conditioned Indian polity since independence, regionalization of politics is of focal importance as a new political idiom that rocks the entire society and polity. Theoretically regionalism denotes a problem of relationship between the sovereign state and its component units. But actually it represents a search for self-identity social, eco-nomic and political, on the part of a group of people rooted in a particular geographical territory. As such, regionalism is in-vested with a territorial, socio-cultural and psychological connotation.
Regionalism in India is a product of historical evolution. After independence it has been nurtured both by Constitutional as well as extra-Constitutional processes, that is, within and outside the framework of the structural arrangements of the Constitution as well as its functioning. Indian society is a plural society and the sub-structure on which modern political super-structure has been built up is characterized by a large number of diverse primordial cultural factors. The combined effect of all these diversities has produced a multi-cultural ethos or what Kothari would call "a civilization type". The processes of integration and modernization during the stage of nation-building could not properly emerge. The uneven pace of modernization and resultant asymmetrical development of different units have given birth to tensions here and there during consolidation and maturation of the system itself. Rationalistic tendency of Indian politics, therefore, is the manifestation of the crises of a transitional society and polity.
Under such circumstances, regionalism in India is multi-dimensional and poly-typical depending upon multifarious components which interplay with one another in different degrees. Of these, the economic component leading to 'maldevelopment syndrome' is the 'crux' of the problem. A sense of frustration and deprivation of the people of a region lies at the root of all sub-national movements.
Conventional theories of regionalism emphasize the negative aspects overlooking its positive side and consider it as detrimental to national integrity and basic interests of a homogeneous.
polity. But to an objective mind regionalism has a positive side also and that is in its role as a link between localism and nationalism. Regionalism also indicates the maturity of the federal polity. Apart from various contributory factors, the problem of regionalism in this sub-continent is, in the main, the product of retarded growth of national capitalism due to its structural dependence on pre-capitalist forces and class-relations as well as on international capitalist forces for its survival. Regionalism leads to an awareness of regional unity which may be extended to the national level with the goal of human evolution fixed at the creation of an all-Nations Universal Commonwealth with internationalism as the ethos of the new order and Socialism as the sustaining philosophy.
This work is an attempt to present a general theoretical frame-work of the problem of regionalism in India and to analyse a few of its multifarious dimensions. While not denying the negative and dark side of regionalism, it brings to light its constructive role as a mechanism that can elevate narrow "we-they" feeling to the plane of nationalism.
This book is primarily meant for the students. As a teacher of the subject, the author has realized the problem and the difficulty of the young students in collecting necessary materials from scarce sources of mainly foreign books and journals which are not easily available to them. The responsibility of a teacher to the students has virtually provoked the author to undertake the task of writing this book so that the students of under-graduate and post-graduate classes would get a ready reference. Her efforts will be rewarded if the students find this book helpful.
It is a relief to the present writer to express her deep sense of gratitude to all those who either directly or indirectly extended their help to her in various phases of this work.
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