Is India as one country in its present form a good idea? The answer is NO. Before you jump to conclusions, I am not advocating disintegration of the country. What I am proposing is India as a country with the Central government responsible for defense and foreign policy. The states will function as independent units within a larger country with their own governments setting growth plans and targets minus the Central government’s interference.
I know that most people will dismiss me as crazy, and I do not blame them for that. For the average Indian, the very idea would sound preposterous. I understand them, for all our failings we still manage to put national interest first when the country is under any external threat. Unfortunately, most Indians do not feel the need to react as one to counter external entities threatening the country internally by proxy. By that, I mean leveraging discontent within to foment trouble from the outside.
Given the size of our country, the hundreds of languages and thousands of dialects that we speak, it is no mean task to protect ourselves as one large entity, especially given the prevalent corruption. And anyways we are constantly fighting against one another for land, water, air and many such issues: a) Maharashtra is fighting the entry of outsiders; b) Maharashtra and Karnataka are fighting over who should own Belgaum; c) Chennai and Karnataka are fighting over the Cauvery waters and now the Hogenekkal Dam; d) UP and Bihar think that they are a different country and a law unto themselves; e) the North-East does not consider itself a part of India—Central neglect is the culprit here; f) Jammu and Kashmir wants to be a separate country. I can go on and on about the widespread discontent across the country.
When I look at all that is happening across the country, I find it extremely difficult to be proud of being an Indian. The question is what is there to be so proud about other than a perverse sense of jingoistic nationalism?
If we want to save India as a country, I believe that the time has come to let states be independent but part of a larger federation. The logic is that when states are independent, and are not dependent on the Center for financial aid, then they will be completely accountable for their actions and, hence, stop indulging in counterproductive activities; states will be forced to cooperate with each other to survive as island nations. When there is no Center to blame, then automatically local politicians will start seeing their bluff being called more often.
Another benefit of this exercise would be the end of regional parties with a handful of votes having a say in National politics. The reason: only national parties will have the right to fight Lok Sabha elections. Then we will have a government with a clear-cut majority that will not dillydally on issues of National Security as seen in the UPA coalition’s handling of the Nuclear deal.
This formula will also solve most problems caused by unbridled migration to regions that are more prosperous from regions that have failed to keep pace. With visas/permits required to work in a state other than that of birth, it will then be in the hands of individual state governments to decide whom to let into the workforce and whom to keep out. What this will do is force governments of states low down the development chain to pull up their socks, get their house in order and give development the much-needed impetus. When that happens, jobs will be created across the country, automatically eliminating the need for people to venture out of their states in search of a livelihood. I will not be surprised if the very states that oppose migration today try wooing the qualified labor force in other states.
Anyways the Indian Premier League (IPL) has shown us how parochial in mentality we Indians can be. If you ask me, the IPL has come at the right time, showing us the mirror. Even after seeing ourselves in this mirror, if we continue to live in a Fools Paradise, then generations that follow us will end up paying a heavy price—the price of disintegration. Our neighbors are working towards and waiting for the country to disintegrate. It is now for us to decide whether we want to stay ahead of the game, or grant them their wish.
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