Re: Autonomy in India - Good or Bad ?

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Dear Nukkies
            Indian Rediff’s posting was quite thought provoking.  My initial 
reaction was on predictable lines, how dare you paint a very bleak future 
for Indian nation. Despite not fully agreeing with his view, there is 
however the need to examine the present ground reality.  Unlike insurgency 
in Jammu & Kashmir the reason of which is communal, why did Punjab the land 
of Jallianwallah Bagh and home to eminent freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh 
demand separation from India?  Why are people of a progressive state like 
Maharashtra disillusioned?  Why did former Orissa chief minister Biju 
Patnaik and recently Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu demand 
more autonomy for states? The list doesn’t end here. But the question 
remains, Why?

In my view it is the present style of governance that is letting India down. 
After independence India opted for a Westminster style parliamentary 
democracy without any prior assessment as to whether it is suited for Indian 
conditions. Parliamentary democracy works well in monocultural Britain with 
a single language of communication. Even in Britain the central government 
in England has namesake control over autonomous regions of Scotland, Wales 
and Northern Ireland. Now let us examine how parliamentary democracy fared 
in India with its sharp cultural and linguistic diversities. We have an 
all-powerful central government with almost unlimited power with states 
having pittance as far as authority is concerned. Provided that the 
composition of the central government has fair representation of all 
regions, the governance should be ideal. However in reality for all 
practical purposes the choice as to who rules India lies in the hands of two 
of the most populous states, Bihar and UP. For the sake of simplicity let us 
assume two national parties A & B. Even if all the other states sans UP and 
Bihar elects Party A, these two states can jointly vote Party B and make 
Party A’s tenure uncomfortable. In practice no party can match the tally 
specified here for Party A and also the electoral field is not limited 
Parties A & B. Turning these facts into number of seats, it becomes evident 
that UP and Bihar become king makers.

Unfortunately UP and Bihar precisely represent all that is ill, wrong and 
perverted in India like communalism, casteism, exploitations and 
backwardness.  The political leadership in these states is also not helping 
the situation in any way. The elite club of Laloo, Rabri, Mulayam, Kalyan, 
Mayawati & Co is the epitome of how an administrator should not be. With the 
current pattern of fund allocation, do I need to tell who all gets the 
lion’s share? Worse even any attempt at reforms is effectively scuttled by 
these vested interests.  In short however progressive and developing the 
other states are the revenue generated will be hardly sufficient to bail out 
the non-performing UP and Bihar. Let me clarify that my intent is not to 
tarnish and blacken UP and Bihar but just to point out a fact.  The buck 
doesn’t stop at the doorstep of these states. There are other non performing 
states as well but then Orissa plagued with natural disasters and drought 
prone Rajasthan definitely deserve an exception.  But not resource rich UP 
and Bihar where mismanagement by politicians is the bane.

The gist of the matter is, Does other performing states need to be penalised 
for the deeds of some erratic, self seeking and corrupt politicians in a 
couple of failed states? Is the present clout enjoyed by UP and Bihar in 
parliament really justified? Can a couple of failed states hold the rest of 
the nation to ransom?  I may sound a bit weird and far-fetched but in 
reality isn’t that what is happening? What lead Punjabis into rebellion? 
Despite having an astounding growth rate and providing bulk of the food 
needs of the country all they experienced was high handedness and 
interference in local governance by the central government. What about 
Assam?  In spite of local opposition against illegal infiltration by 
Bangladeshi nationals, the then central government went ahead with enlisting 
these foreigners into the voters list in order to win elections. No wonder 
if states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka 
etc have a feeling that they are not getting their due share from the 
centre. Frankly speaking their grievances are genuine but the all-deciding 
central government is most often insensitive to their aspirations.  Which 
brings us to another factor. Who’s a better judge when it comes to the best 
interests of a state? Experience shows that it is not the central government 
or the planning commission. Isn’t it better to leave that to the state 
residents to decide what is best for them? Does being part of the Indian 
union necessarily mean suppression of ones local aspirations and be dictated 
by a central government packed with people having no idea about the issues 
facing various states? My feeling is no.  States need to be granted more 
authority in deciding their affairs. Else we may have to witness more 
undesirable movements like Khalistan, JLKF, Dravidian, Assamese etc.

So the present style of governance is not delivering the right results. Then 
what should replace it?  American style democracy is not an answer to all 
our problems. Perhaps a hybrid of Parliamentary and Presidential form of 
government may be the solution. Give more powers to states especially areas 
like revenue collection and allocation, taxation, finance, trade, commerce, 
foreign investment, industries, transportation etc but short of complete 
autonomy. Abolish planning commission, allow the states to manage their 
finaces themselves and be asked to pay a central tax. Let centre handle key 
portfolios like currency, foreign affairs, defence etc. The nation should 
have an elected president on the lines of the Electoral College system 
prevalent in US but with a parliament with sufficient power to apply the 
necessary checks and balances. These changes do not warrant a complete 
stamping out of all problems plaguing India but at least it provide the 
required freedom for the states to decide on their future. Any 
non-performing state will have only themselves to blame and will no longer 
be put the blame on the centre. Thus if Laloo and Kalyan feel Mandal and 
Mandir are more important than good administration, then they better find 
out a way to feed their populace.

BTW Indian Rediff, I’m not so pessimistic about India’s future. I firmly 
believe that God Almighty will answer my prayers and some day in my life I 
can proudly point out the progress and strides achieved by India.



Bye


An ever-optimistic Indian
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