Eight years ago, I co-authored a book, Crafting State-Nations, with two great scholars of comparative politics, professors Alfred Stepan and Juan Linz. The book argued that the world needed to learn from the Indian model of democratic engagement with deep diversities. The new Kashmir doctrine announced by the Narendra Modi government Monday effectively puts paid to that model.
The ‘New India’ is saying goodbye to its own unique model of nation-building in favour of an outdated and disastrous European model.
The old nation-state model
Let me summarise the argument. All over the world, we face a difficult question: how can democracies accommodate deep socio-cultural diversity within one state? This issue is faced not just by countries like India that have inherited deep religious, linguistic, ethnic and cultural diversities. The small and hitherto homogenous countries in Europe and North America also face this challenge today, thanks to large-scale immigration.
We have inherited an old wisdom on how to handle diversities. First evolved in Europe, this wisdom tells us every state must contain within itself one and not more than one culturally homogenous nation, that every state should be a nation, and that every nation should be a state. This understanding informed the rise of modern nation-states in Europe. So, the ‘nation-state’ model is a political-institutional approach that tries to make the political boundaries of the state and the presumed cultural boundaries of the nation match. How do you do that? Nation-states solved this problem of diversity by privileging one sociocultural identity with the help of soft assimilation, coercion or violence. This is what happened in Italy, in France and most infamously in Germany. This is why nationalism gets such a bad name in Europe.
But this is not the only model. There are many successful democratic states in the world today that do not conform to this nation-state model. The list would include Canada, Spain and Belgium, though India is a prime example of this new model of nation-building.
Also read: The genesis of Kashmir issue or its resolution is not located in Article 370
A new state-nation model
This new model involves a political-institutional approach that respects and protects multiple socio-cultural identities. Instead of stream-rolling difference, this approach recognises the legitimate public and even political expression of regional, linguistic, ethnic and cultural diversities. This model focuses on mechanisms to accommodate competing or conflicting claims of different groups, while fostering a ‘we-feeling’ for the country as a whole. In our book, we called this new model ‘state-nation’.
India was a classic state-nation model. Instead of trying to copy European nations, our freedom struggle recognised and celebrated our diversities. Our nationalist leaders insisted that India did not need one language or one culture to be a nation. This gave birth to the cliché of “unity in diversity”.
The Indian Constitution duly reflected this understanding of nationhood. Multiplicity of religious practices was recognised and protected by incorporating minority rights in the chapter on Fundamental Rights.
Linguistic diversity was acknowledged by adopting several official languages rather than one national language. Regional and cultural diversity was secured by adopting ‘asymmetrical’ federalism, i.e., a federal arrangement that recognises special situation of different states and makes unique arrangements to accommodate their specific needs.
One of these provisions of a very special arrangement for Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 is well known. But we forget that Article 371 makes similar extra-ordinary arrangements for Nagaland, Mizoram and Sikkim, besides special provision for disadvantaged communities or regions in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra. Allowing for different kinds of differences lay at the heart of the state-nation called India.
Also read: Will Modi govt move on Kashmir’s Article 370 stand the scrutiny of Supreme Court?
A Union’s territory
All this changed Monday. Or rather, the Kashmir doctrine unveiled Monday put an official seal on what was coming in bits and pieces for long. The Modi government has made no secret of its desire for simultaneous elections to Parliament and state assemblies under ‘One Nation One Election’.
We have had a proposal to extend the National Register of Citizens, a special solution to a peculiar problem in Assam, to the rest of the country. This might be called ‘One Nation, One Citizenship’. Reforms in agricultural markets are called ‘One Nation, One Market’. So, it is not a coincidence that the new Kashmir policy is framed as ‘One Nation, One Constitution’. Let there be no confusion about it: what we have witnessed Monday is not just a radical shift in the Kashmir policy, we are witnessing a fundamental reorientation of the way we handle diversities. The entire country is now the Union’s territory.
This is the heart of what is wrong with what the Modi government seeks to do in Kashmir. The problem is not just that it violates the letter of the Constitution. As many lawyers have pointed out, Article 370(3) clearly mandates that the President can modify Article 370 only on recommendation by the constituent assembly of J&K (which ceased to exist in 1956).
Article 3 says that the boundaries of a state can be changed only after referring the matter to the state assembly. In this instance, the Central government has acted on its own recommendation. In doing so, it has also violated the basic spirit of the Constitution. The underlying idea is that you do not determine the fate of the people without their representatives getting a chance to discuss it.
Also read: After Article 370, Modi’s first test in Kashmir will begin once curfew is lifted
Unity in singularity
In the case of Jammu and Kashmir, this was a sacred covenant: the special status of the state will not be changed without the express consent of their elected representatives. Doing so at a moment when the state assembly stands dissolved, when the political leaders are in detention and when the entire state is under information blackout, is a betrayal of Constitutionalism.
Above all, it amounts to abandoning the state-nation model of living with deep diversities.
Religious diversity is a problem; minorities need to be put in their place. Any assertion of regional diversity is potentially secessionist; it needs to be crushed. Ideological dissent is a no-no; it needs to be shut up. We have turned our back to at least one century of audacity to think that India need not replicate European templates.
Just when India has acquired the economic clout to command a seat at the global centre stage, its leaders meekly surrender to a failed European model of how to build a nation. The good old ‘Unity in Diversity’ is replaced by ‘Unity in Singularity’. The ‘new India’ looks like a faded copy of a very old Europe. The trouble, of course, is that by the time we have managed to copy the sahebs, they have moved on. And that, as Ashis Nandy would remind you, is the ultimate tragedy of the colonised mind.
The author is the national president of Swaraj India. Views are personal.
Muslims Can Have Ghettos!! Kashmiri Jihadis Can Do Hindu Genocide!! Christians Can Give Rice Bags To Convert The Hindus. Hindu Majority India Has Accomodated The Increase Of The Largest Ever Minority Explosion In Human History!!
Yet!! For These Sickulars, Hindu Civilization Has To Be Destroyed!!
There Can Be 50+ Islamic & Christian Majority Nations!!
But.. Somehow, There Can’t Be A Hindu Majority Nation Protecting Hindu Rights & Civilization??!! WHY Is That Mr. SICK-ular??
Many may argue the move was wrong.. to revoke the article..
but they fail to differentiate.. the facts..
What is wrong.. !?
The way it was done or how it was done..
The way the author says constitutionally wrong… i say NO..
not constitutionally but morally yes.
Because Morality can’t be defined by laws…
But one things clear it’s better to have action ( Correct or Wrong, -will b e decided after long time ) than inaction..
N thats what’s getting Prime Minister Modi his credits.
So, were the state assemblies of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, approved creation of Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Telangana, respectively?!!
Unity in Diversity cannot work. Diversity cannot be a vessel for unity. For instance, how can an ideology that proclaims that 80 percent of Indians are Satanic be acceptable? Instead, we must believe in Diversity in Unity. The human values must be the uniting non- negotiable vessel. Faith based irrational ideological diversities must be tolerated only as long as human values are not subsumed.
Well Said Vidya!! And.. I Might Add If There Can Be 50+Islamic & Christian Nations, What’s Wrong If India Becomes A Hindu Nation Protecting It’s Civilization???!!
India as a united country cannot grow with the hollow idealism preached by intellectuals like Yogendra Yadav. Such people are only thinkers who are failures on the ground level. Suppose, if people like Yogendra Yadav become PM of this nation, continue talking about diversity etc, there will be chaos and India would disintegrate so quickly, and he would be wondering along with other intellectuals: Where did we go wrong? Sir, you are living in the ivory tower without having any feel of the ground level, where the diverse groups of people are actually living. It is one thing to live in your intellectual group and comment on anything …with an illusion that you are a great thinker…but to run a vast country like India is something very different. This country needs some break from this kind of impotent thinking, to grow in a disciplined manner, at least for some years. It is in need of benevolent dictatorship and PM Narendra Modi fits the bill.. And if unfortunately, if people like Yogendra Yadav are elected to govern the country, this country will be disintegrated in no time. Intellectual theories are fantasies which have a place in the dust bin. Think again, or I would say: Feel more, Think less.
Yogendraji, with all due respect, it’s really surprising to see you opposing removal of article 370, which was extremely harmful to national integrity and security. It has already caused so much bloodshed and damage to India. So justifying article 370 only on inconsequential technical points may not be appreciated by Indian people. Please take this into consideration.
bloodshed to Indians? whenever reading about Kashmir, it has often been about civilians casualties, rapes etc… of Kashmiris..?Who or what is referenced to as India… in what context.. people, land.. Status quo ? just curious
Wonderful piece. The BJP and it’s ideological mentors views regarding a unitary state as a solution to all problems is well known. The prime minister has often spoken about his commitment to federalism. But his actions demonstrate the opposite and reflect a growing intolerance for divergent views driven by majoritarian sentiments.. This country would not have even made it so far without our commitment to unity in diversity deeply embedded in our constitution. It is sad that majoritarianism blinds us to the real problems lying underneath what we are witnessing.
Mr Yadav,
I have different views on the matter. I have been listening to your views for a long time now. I always found you reasonable. Opposing for the sake of opposing is a no-go.
Do you have a better proposal ? You must put that forth. Things are not peaceful in Kashmir. If there is anything better, I would like to hear from you.
The writer rejected failed politician. His frustration and bias colour his article.
HT should avoid carrying such substandard pieces if it wishes to retain sober readership.
I agree with Yogendra yadav here. See what has been happening in many Islamic states like Syria, Afghanistan, Egypt etc. and in Communist China, with the developments in Hong Kong closely resembling the Tiananmen Square massacre. If we do not learn from history, then history is bound to repeat itself.
This article by Mr. Yogendra Yadav is the hour of the need. But His Voice is not heard because of the Big Noisy Voicy leaders of the Dictatorship Party. I pity our People. They have lost the ability to distinguish the Sane and insane Acts. Therefore, I feel Mr. Yogendra Yadav AND like Him shall take this as a challenge and undertake All India Awakening Tour and Talk. It is not late to start. If People are not coming to us, We have to go to the People. I am with you Mr. Yogendra Yadav. Please take the lead.
The author presents his thoughts lucidly and is a voice of reason today. He misses the essence: when law of the land is breached by a privileged few, what is the recourse regardless of the model of the nation-state? History in India has seen post 1966 a tactic where the corrupt became rulers, a team of acolytes made the rulers indispensable, money is everywhere except for the masses who still need to worry about bread tomorrow. Throw in a claimed Muslim majority state that after the Ruler’s accession with India became Muslim Conferences (later National Conference) that denied its minorities fundamental rights guaranteed under the constitution and increasingly since 1990 perpetrated genocide, spawned terrorism, imposed “Pakistan” as a stakeholder “if you want peace” and a neighbourhood buoyant with fundamentalist uprising and a dragon who breathes fire but has itself caught dispute worldwide. Just one state who thought they were not “within”. In such a circumstance when they had the opportunity between 2014 and 2019 to correct the situation and led to a worsening situation. No model works in such a circumstance. The scenario depicted is outcome of many issues. The Act a need. And henceforth national discipline also a matter to accept – of course malicious, unsocial activities are not to be condoned.
The State-Nations, Mr Yadav romanticize by examples of Canada, Belgium and Spain have serious problems as each and every one of them are rife with separatism.
Canada has English French divide with French Quebec trying to split from English Canada: Belgium has French and Flemish at each others throat while Spain has the Basques always trying to split. These are relatively small populations with small power on world stage.
India and JK with 370 suffered from the same separatist tendencies with additional help from a rogue neighbour who mischievously deploys religious/ Jihadi elements to achieve nefarious goals.
You dislike MODI,BJP, RSS etc. That is OK you are entitled to your views. But surely you do believe in the unity and integrity of India (Indian constitution ).
Therefore repealing 370 is a patriotic act .
The hatred of your idealogical enemies need not blind you to lose sight of what is good or bad for your beloved India.
This is the high time that we put fascist Nazi leader i,e PM Modi and his home minister Amit Shah in their natural home, i,e where they belong i,e Indian Jail for crime against humanity. That day is not far away. The list of crime by CM Modi and his home minster Shah is getting big. Starting from atrocities that he orchestrated when he was the CM in Gujrat where he orchestrated a Genocide and killed 800 innocent Mulsims including Child and woman. Now with this illegal, undemocratic unilateral steps he started a new war against innocent Kashmiri people. By locking them down and isolating Kashmiri he is again approaching to do a atrocities. We must put this Fascist in jail. Also now Kashmiri will soon start their freedom struggle and one day will achieve freedom and become a independent state. This fascist PM just lit the fire in that process.
Lol!! Ye!! Islamic Pakistan & Bangladesh Along With Other Islamic Nations With Blasphemy Laws & Minority Genocide Aren’t Fascist!!
But.. India Which Has Seen The Largest Explosion Of Muslim & Christian Population Is Fascist!!
STOP Going To Pakistan’s Islamic University You Moron!!
I have no hesitation in calling Yogendra Yadav an anti-national. People like him are of no use by any nation except the enemies of the nation. He is lucky that he is able to use to the space provided by ThePrint that seems to be too eager to give voice to anti-nationals.
Why So called liberals, communists have the following view:
1. Everything Modi is doing will go wrong.
2. Always maintain status quo. Don’t change anything unless we ask u to..
3. We will complain about each and every issues in the country, and complain more if you you try to address that issues with legislation..
4. We will pick and choose what a group of people should be constituted.. Kashmiris mean muslims in valley only and definitely not the 3 of the 6 MPs elected from there. Students mean students affiliated to communist unions.. Women means ones who would want to go to Sabarimala (even while not having any faith on Iyyappa).. Victims only mean Minorities/people from your group.. Intellectuals only mean those from West with socialist agenda or most among your group. Those who attack muslims for whatever reasons are hindu fundemetalists regardless of negligible percentage of hindus involved in that stupid act but those terrorists should not even be referred as muslims.. History only means what is written in what you believe in..
5. When it comes to interests of Nation, you would pretend as though a global citizen and human.. When it comes to a citizen suffering, you put all the faults with head of the Nation.
6. You advocate Whatever done in early times it should be maintained as is.. But if one goes so early times such as before muslim and english invasion, you call it outdated ideas..
Sir you looks good with tukde tukde gangs with jerk smile….may God gives you sense of humour to sense the national sentiment…plz don’t play with fire. Or you can shift to Pak as you would make perfect fit there.
Yogendra sir,
Where were you when Andhra people thrown out with out any Capital of the state.
People,who asked for bifurcation got capital but Andhra people, who opposed bifurcation were thrown out in 2014 for Political gains.
Selective critisim
In an ideal situation and theoritically – yes, the diverse situation and all the diversities should be respected, sustained and enriched by the state. That is where the beauty lies. But as civil liberties are prone to be misused to be an irresponsible entity causing distress and discomfort for society and state at large, so are the diversities to become prone to be interfered and made them anarchic and poisonous, if meddlled with by undiserable outside agencies. The situation in J&K perhaps are not quite comparable to some special provisions under 371 for many other north east states mainly about purchase/sell and retention of land, properties etc of local people. We even have many state laws in different states on this regulating sell/purchase of land of local people.
But J&K has been quite different. It has no longer been a situation where different ethnic groups and cultures were thriving and syncing nicely and beautifully and one fine morning the state came and destroyed them. No, it is not at all killing of diversities – it is just an effort of killing the exported spread of anarchy and dangerous interference of outsiders within our territory. A prudent and dynamic state is always supposed to take a call when it’s sovereignty and integrity are questioned.
J&K includes many ethnic and diverse religions and cultures. But the menace of terrorism and meddling from across the boarder was killing these diversities only and making them progressively tilting towards a state of complete anarchy, where the state was completely failing in its endeavour. For long years everything had been tried – from appeasement to political sacrifices by successive despansation at the centre. The situation went from bad to worse and an entire generation of J&K had been misguided and crafted into hating the mainland and mainstream. Local politicians and separatists shared their spaces comfortably and were having their luxuries making the people victims of everything. Pakistan politics became prominent than Indian endeavours. One may very well argue that the centre had not been serious all these years in sorting out the issues and taking along the people on board. But as of now situation went too far on negative side and it needed a serious stroke to break the flow and change the track.
May be making it Union Territory stripping the statehood is perhaps too much. This will completely lack a local touch in administration and welfare measures. But then the Home Minister has asserted that the statehood may return after normalcy is restored. This may be taken in true spirit and await unfolding further roadmap for the region. There lies a huge responsibility upon the centre to take honest efforts in envisaged directions.
A new change always brings too much of apprehensions, many of them quite genuine. We suddenly come at edge where one may have the risk of slipping off and falling back too. But that are the risks of any big decision.
If the decision is backed by a sound roadmap of security and welfare keeping the people at the centre without any political misadventure, this would turn out to be historic for the country!
So it is illiberal for Kashmiris to have exactly the same rights as other Indians? A curious argument for you to make.
Kashmir and India is very different from the West Bank and Israel, for instance. Kashmiris are full Indian citizens able to vote and own property anywhere in India on the same terms as other Indians. Whereas the West Bankers – I was there a few weeks ago – have no rights in Israel while Israelis are able to settle in the West Bank. Completely different situation. You need to do your homework before you write.
The abolition of Kashmir’s previous status ends the anomaly whereby Kashmiris can own land and other property in the rest of India and live there freely while keeping non-Kashmiris out of Kashmir. And for good measure the Kashmiri Muslims drove out hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri Hindus from the state amid mass slaughter and rape. They have been rotting in refugee camps ever since outside the state. Your noble liberal conscience did not extend to mentioning their plight.
If the left pseudo-libral conscious extended to Pandits then I will have to take word pseudo out.
Why are there so many ass lickers of Pakistan in India?they find faults with every step of India (read Modi) but turn their face away on misdeeds of Pak.that kashmir turned from bad to worse in last 70 years is not their concern but correcting a foolish decision in the interest of nation draws all their fury. pseudointellectuals of India ,who have been vomiting the borrowed ideas of west,your days are numbered.anyway nation does not listen to you anymore.
When Muslim terrorists drove Kashmiri Hindus out of Kashmir, did you write similar articles in favour of Hindus? The unholy nexus between pseudo-liberals/ pseudo-intellectuals like YY and Muslims is what is pushing India more and more to the Right. I have ceased to believe that liberals can be neutral anymore.
Complete nonsense. That was a riot by common people from one religion to other religion and we have Law and Order in place to deal with that. This is not this case which is an atrocities and crime by a Central Govt machinery against its people, just like atrocities and crime against humanity done by PM Modi when he was CM in Gujrat where he orchestrated Genocide and killed 800 innocent Mulsims including Child and woman. Those kind of state sponsored crime can only be dealt with peoples protest and action as in those case the perpetrator, the state govt control the Law and order machinery and help the perpetrator just like Gujarat police Helped PM Modi to mass murder innocent Muslim Indians. So Y Jadav has rightfully wrote this article as BJP govt is commuting crime against innocent Kashmiri population. This is also the high time that we put fascist Nazi leader i,e PM Modi and his home minister Amit Shah in their natural home, i,e where they belong i,e Indian jail for crime against humanity. That day is not far away. Also Now Kashmiri will start their freedom struggle and one day will achieve freedom and become a independent state.
Hindu Genocide In Pakistan, Bangladesh & Kashmir Done By Allah Lovers Was LOVE??
A eunuchoid interpretation of Kashmir problems. May his brain rest in piece.
Scorched butts squirm like this. Nation-State, State-Nation. Yogendra Yadav is going bonkers. It is time he figures Modi-Shah running the nation by common sense and will of the people that gave them the reins. Liberals should admit their absurdity and fetish for witless nuance. Do not mistake this for Triumphalism which is winning over contenders. Here it is all pretenders that Modi-Shah ride roughshod over. Go get a life, Yadav.
Mr. Yogendra Yadav
you are conviniently missing the points of throwing out of Hindus and Sikhs from the valley. Rise of vahabi Islam instead of Sufi tradition of Kashmir. and this is the reason of today’s situation
The basic premise is wrong. The current international model (that includes the western model) is nationhood based on citizenship, not religion or language. Religion and language continue to be sources of conflict, but the citizenship model is now embraced by the vast majority of the world. Kashmir’s autonomy was largely based on religion and in conflict with the more open model of nationhood. As should have been anticipated, article 370 became simply a stepping for extremists who rejected it for complete separation based explicitly on communal grounds. Yadav uses sophistry to stand that argument on its head. Yadav is neither fit to be a politician or an intellectual.
The cliche of “Unity in Diversity” had a subtext. There has be to a commonality of belonging to India also behind this diversity. Its the case of hyphenated identities. I am an Indian AND Punjabi, Gujrati, Malyali so on. Even after 70 years of autonomy, Kashmiris are not ready to say they are Indian too because of some vested interests inside the valley. Autonomy was only going to strengthen separatism and succession. This is not paranoia but reality. Article 370 may have started as a bridge but now has become a barrier. It had to go eventually. Whatever the original intentions this article might have had, it has failed them.
Diversity should be sacrosant , anybody messing with it should be sent forever to burn in hell, if he isn.t already.The case for respecting diversuty cannot be made strongly enough . All societies that are diverse because of intemingling of ethnicities ,castes , languages are doing better than those who insist on purity . But Kashmir is economic hell precisely because there is no diversity there . Article 370 should have been scrapped long ago , as kashmiris are welcomed to all parts of india to add to the diversity , so should kashmir receive all kinds of people . whether this could have been done in a more democratic way is valid debate , but trying to do something worhtwhile in a slightly imperfect way is better than not doing it at all ,
The issue with these intellectuals is that they have a European hangover in everything. They try to paint India with the same colour as Europe. The atheism in Europe was rebel to church forcing it’s way of thinking. India does not have that problem …you are free to think whatever you want no book no dogmas. These leftist intellectual atheist are unfunny jokers who ape west assuming they are liberated and intelligent souls. Jokers!
Yogendra Yadav puts forth a fallacious argument. First,. There’s no European Model. Forget Spain and Belgium, the most diverse country is Switzerland. With a population of 84 lakhs it has four distinct regions with their own language and culture and a 730 years history of peaceful coexistence. On a per capita comparison it leaves India at the starting gate. A nation state needs a glue to hold it together and this was lacking in J&K. The Wahabbi culture of the valley, a professed loyalty to a hostile neighbor and the manner in which Pandits were killed raped and thrown out without any sign of remorse by the majority makes it one of a kind. Equating the abrogation of Article 370 with disintegration of the natio state is naive. India has and will survive as a nation despite Mr Yadav’s doomsday prediction.
Only the colonised minds cannot comprehend what Mr.Yadav has said.
Quite an armchair trash article. You seem to be an apologist for jihadi violence unleashed against Indian citizens from this “previlaged class” state that ate up 10% of the total Central financial assistance to states, totally disproprtionate to its size, productivity & numbers. HIGH TIME that changed. Now these guys better pay taxes as rest of Indians do.. . Btw now the aspirations of minority Ladakhis have also been attended to. Fantastic corrective & Foresighted step by The current Govt. Way to go!
Chamberlain’s appeasement Policy didnt work. Neither will it work against Political Islam. It needs to be confronted head on, a la tackling of Malayan Islamic insurgency by the Brits.
Promotion of Hindi or Sanskrit is an intra-Hindu affair & can be dealt with within the framework of Hindutva.
Homogenization is any underway – after all India been a melting pot of ideas and ethnicity since millennia. Capitalism will any way destroy the cast structures far better than any high morale thinking.
Comparing Pakistan & East Bengal with Indian context is laughable. You forget the 1000km in between. India as a political body has pretty well defined boundaries.
Only line I can agree with yadav is: In the long run, uniformity may prevail. But in the meantime, tensions will probably increase because of identity clashes.
Mr. Yogendra Yadav,
A few direct questions to you.
1. Whether this ‘state-nation’ does not apply within J&K state?
2. J&K is not only Kashmir but also includes Jammu & Ladakh. J&K has not only Muslims but also Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and people of other religions.
3. When Kashmiri Muslims did ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits, Sikhs in the valley, where was your conscience?
4. When Kashmiri politicians (Obdullas ,Muftis etc) repeatedly accuse India of trying to change demography, did you ever rebut it?
5. When they denied partition refugees basic human and voting rights, where was your conscience?
6. When money meant for complete state was diverted for only the valley, did you ever protest it?
Theory looks nice when detached from reality. Wake up!
Completely agree. Yogendra’s article has all the hallmark of ‘deep intellectual speak’ which really means very little. The deep wrongs of 370, the neglect of Ladakh, the immoral strangle hold by the Kashmiri elite which has kept Kashmiris is. Poverty, is unacceptable. Old Europe is dead and gone. This is bold New India in which The govt has cut the proverbial Gordian Knot’ .
Leftists should stay away from such issues and stick to poverty creation. Geo politics and patriotism should be left to the conservatives. Jai Bharat,vande mataram, Bharat mata ki jai. Death to India’s enemies.
I expected something better from the author. Looks like lost the narration comparing to European model. Europe is division of countries, by and large, territorial disputes are at minimum and after schenzen visa introduction, they remain more or less united, divided by language and culture but no major untoward incidents except the meddling by Russia and migrants from Syria. Indian state of J&K was troubled from the word go for the follies done by early planners and was missed by few families holding the Kashmir as their personal property. The initial mistake of Nehru playing his own games with Raja Hari Singh and Sheik Abdulla to score a point lead to concessions and threats. Coupled with Pakistan and China playing their part fo break India, by China taking away a land from Ladakh and naming as Aksai Chin and Pakistan taking away part of Kashmir naming Azad Kashmi, right under the nose of Nehru’s foolishness. Prior to Chinese aggression, Nehru called Chinse and showed our ordinance factory and military installations and with his anti-US stand told everyone that Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai. Within few months China walked in took away our land and Nehru in his depression just wept before media. POK lead to Nehru quickly admitting for plebiscite which was unwarranted. Today if you call Kashmiris, most of them are acting as proxies for Pakistan and unless they are controlled we end up loosing entire Kashmir with China and Pakistan having deep interest in that area. The matter doesn’t end there. Nepal is playing to the tunes of China having installed communists with Mao’s ideology. I did not expect such poor narration by Yogendra Yadav. In democracy, everything is not consultative. There is a need for force to recon for the good for the country. Kashmir is not just Kashmir it is strategicaly positioned place for India and this need to be protected.
Over the top and melodramatic. Does Mr.Yadav think the BJP will try to get rid of linguistic states in this country ? Does anyone in thir right mind think that nearly 25 crore people, the religious minorities, can be “put in their place” by any government ? Look at the context of Kashmir, for seventy odd years an attempt was made at reconciling ‘deep diversity’ as you call it. This wasn’t just an internal movement that could be reasoned with, it has external backers and an increasingly global religious ideological roots. Mr.Yadav should perhaps start reading some political science in the context of conflicts. This is not simply a case of a narrow minded nationalism.
Read a column by Shri David Devadas last night in which he listed out the various ethnicities, religions and – presumably – languages that are included in J & K. One small corner of a large, by no means monochromatic, land, rightly called a subcontinent. The thought struck me that Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan could not possibly be a mould in which to fit India. Having one flag and one Constitution is good enough. We should have the self confidence not to see any deviation from GMT as a threat. Which reminds me, no harm in India having more than one time zone. It is a fallacy that will have very painful consequences if we try to forge a national identity based on uniformity.
To the author :
One cannot equate variables of one part of the world to another – They are not facsimiles !
One HAS to view each situation noting it’s very own variables & times.
Please do us a favour and not mix all regions into one bucket !!
Yogendraji, we checked with Mr Modi, he unfortunately like most of us has not read your book. I am sure if he had read your book he would have taken a different view! I am sure he would have also got someone to explain the theoretical theories which you and your friends had articulated.
Meanwhile Modi has promised that he will definitely read this whenever he retires
Good one, Arjun..