Hindustan and Balkanization

The spat between Bal Thackeray and Sachin Tendulkar is too recent in memory. Also recent is the behaviour of the MNS MLAs against another member for taking the oath of office in a different language. But though the state of Maharashtra may be unduly in the focus due to these incidents, they are by no means confined to one part of the country, nor are they going to disappear unless we confront the problem.

Ever since the agitations of the 1950s produced linguistic governing entities, the nation has always been divided along regional lines. But it is only in the recent times that claims of exclusivity have reached epidemic proportions. Every special interest group seems to think that the concept of region belongs only to the natives of that region.

This phenomenon reflects a deeper problem: the failure of the state (as opposed to the centre) as a viable governing entity in India’s federal system. No longer are state governments able to manage their finances. Doling out of freebies has all but emptied their treasuries and they are dependent on the central government’s handouts and national-level projects for their well-being.

The above-mentioned feature of the Centre-State relations should act as an effective barrier against the disintegration of the country, for the resulting splinter-states would be unviable entities. But that is not the problem facing the country now. Special interest groups now desire that the jobs in that particular region be given only to the natives. This militates against one of the fundamental rights of the Indian citizen enshrined in our Constitution: the right to settle down and earn a living in any part of the country.

Institutions like the Indian Railways and the State Bank of India belong to the whole country, not just to a particular state. These companies have the right to choose the best employees and generate the maximum revenue for the country. Of course, social justice is also a mandate for these companies, but the concept is being stretched out a bit too far.

There is another thing that is intriguing: Why are these Senas so concerned about Mumbai and not about their rural areas? The same philosophy holds good for other regions.

Perhaps, the answer can be found in the fact that much of Maharashtra’s revenue is generated by Mumbai. A separation of Mumbai from Maharashtra (envisaged by some as an autonomous Union Territory) would entail a serious loss of income and political suicide. Again, as I have pointed out in one of my earlier blogs, cities are the magic pot from which money and jobs flow out, and which can be easily milked. This is true for the larger, dynamic and more cosmopolitan metro areas.

Another reason for these agitations is that they offer a convenient distraction from the real and pressing issues. No longer do we get food at affordable rates. Nor is employment generation keeping up with economic growth. Any serious debate on these issues will provoke a backlash against the entire polity.

This brings forth another point: the discrimination of regions within a particular state. As it turns out, Andhra Pradesh, which was the first state of India created on a linguistic basis, is now divided between its Telengana region on one side and the Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions on the other. This is proof enough that linguistic division, though well-intended, was a flawed exercise, and fifty years later, has only reopened old wounds. The division between western Maharashtra and Vidarbha have also been documented. A political party (which fortunately did not win any seats this time) have also talked of dividing Tamil Nadu into northern and southern parts.

Increasingly, it is observed that the results of the General Elections are an aggregate of the results of the individual elections of the states. This reflects that, even though the states are dysfunctional entities, the people are increasingly voting based on local issues (which should ideally be confined to state assembly elections).

I am not being optimistic or pessimistic on the above issues. What I want to say is, that, as a nation, we are facing some problems, and these problems are not going to go away unless they are urgently addressed and tackled by the polity, the civil society, the intelligentsia and the media. Instead of uniting behind Sachin Tendulkar’s remarks and against Bal Thackeray’s, (even though that may be the right thing to do in the immediate present) we must do some soul-searching into why we have ceased to function truly as a federal republic.