Indian Federalism And Autonomy

In this study of struggles for ethnoterritorial autonomy, Bethany Lacina explains regional elites’ decision whether or not to fight for autonomy, and the central government’s response to this decision. In India, the prime minister’s respective electoral ties to separate, rival regional interests determine whether ethnoterritorial demands occur and whether they are repressed or accommodated. Using new data on ethnicity and sub-national discrimination in India, national and state archives, parliamentary records, cross-national analysis and her original fieldwork, Lacina explains ethnoterritorial politics as a three-sided interaction of the center and rival interests in the periphery. Ethnic entrepreneurs use militancy to create national political pressure in favor of their goals when the prime minister lacks clear electoral reasons to court one regional group over another. Second, ethnic groups rarely win autonomy or mobilize for violence in regions home to electorally influential anti-autonomy interests. Third, when a regional ethnic majority is politically important to the prime minister, its leaders can deter autonomy demands within their borders, while actively discriminating against minorities. Rival Claims challenges the conventional beliefs that territorial autonomy demands are a reaction to centralized power and that governments resist autonomy to preserve central prerogatives. The center has allegiances in regional politics, and ethnoterritorial violence reflects the center’s entanglement with rival interests in the periphery.

The book discusses the issue of autonomy in India’s federal system and its precision and focused nature. It inquires into the various aspects of the problem autonomy of the states and its emerging trends with special reference of Jammu and Kashmir State autonomy. The book addresses many controversial unanswered question like – Should India adopt and opt for ‘dual’ or ‘competitive’ model of federalism, which has long since been discarded even in the land of its origin or should we evolve robust indigenous solutions to our problem of autonomy of States? To change the metaphor, do we choose a ‘regression model’ or a ‘development model’ of our federal polity? All these discussions which deserve sustained citizen interest and national debate, have been answered in the present book.

Book: Federalism, Autonomy And Centre-state Relations Federalism, Autonomy and Centre-State Relations throws light on the fact that the future of the democratic federal set-up of the Indian learned war asserts at the future Indian federal set-up lies not in repressing the desires, aspiration and dreams of the various regions and sub-regions but in generating forces of creative, cohesive, consensual federalism; advancing unity in diversity and harmonizing national paramountcy and in linguistic plurality.

This volume tells us that a critical inquiry into the idea of autonomy suggests that the politics of the future will be the politics of autonomies: an engagement that combines notions like self-government, women`s autonomy, devolution of power, the rights of minorities, greater popular access to resources, and legal pluralism, and where different autonomies must learn to negotiate and co-exist. Viewing democratic theory through the lens of autonomy, the contributors:- argue that autonomy has to be an essential ingredient in the building of post-colonial democracies, not merely a residual measure to keep some constituencies happy;- draw attention to the contending principles of autonomy, the consequent politics of autonomies, the inescapable co-existence of autonomies, and the need for dialogue; and- analyze the instructive Indian politico-historical experience because of its diversity and range, the extent of colonial institutionalization, multiple forms of autonomy, the complex path of constitutionalism, a wide variety of accords, and the unyielding state that is determined to keep the nation intact.In the process, the contributors traverse a wide range of issues relating to women`s autonomy, peace accords, the nature of federalism in the Indian Constitution, autonomy in international law, and the fiscal decentralization. These debates are then supported by case studies on the autonomy experiments in Kashmir, Darjeeling, and the entire Northeast, and on fiscal devolution.

This book, first published in 2000, explores how different states negotiate the competing claims of ethnic groups.

"Thematically the study is significant as it deals covers a wide range of issues connected with the concept of Indian federalism and Article 370 of the Indian constitution". -Noor Ahmad Baba, Professor, Central University of Kashmir, Srinagar, J&K "The author has emphatically stated that the demand of autonomy to the state of Jammu and Kashmir is a great debate and will remain a living issue in Indian federation". -Arshi Khan, Professor, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India "The author has emphatically examined the implications of Article 370 of the constitutional democracy of the state and the nation". -Iftekhar Ahemmed, Professor, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India The book discusses the issue of autonomy in India's federal system and its precision and focused nature. It inquires into the various aspects of the problem autonomy of the states and its emerging trends with special reference of Jammu and Kashmir State autonomy. The book addresses many controversial unanswered question like - Should India adopt and opt for 'dual' or 'competitive' model of federalism, which has long since been discarded even in the land of its origin or should we evolve robust indigenous solutions to our problem of autonomy of States? To change the metaphor, do we choose a 'regression model' or a 'development model' of our federal polity? All these discussions which deserve sustained citizen interest and national debate, have been answered in the present book. Dr. Waseem Ahmed Sofi teaches Political Science at the Government Degree College, Jammu, India. He has written for multiple newspapers and magazines like The Rising Kashmir, The Rising Truth, and The Kashmir Reader.

This volume analyzes centre-state dynamics in India placed against the backdrop of the election of a Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata (BJP) government to central power in 2014. It reflects on how centre-state relations have been shaped by the legacy of nearly two decades of broad-based coalition government at the centre and the concurrent and ongoing liberalization of the Indian economy. To this purpose, the volume engages with several relevant questions linked to the political economy of Indian federalism and its ability to manage ethno-linguistic difference. Did liberalization strengthen the economic or political autonomy of the Indian states? What impact did party system change have on the capacity of parties in central government to influence the actions of state governments? How did party system change and liberalization influence the fiscal and financial autonomy of the states and the capacity of the centre in planning and social development? Did both processes strengthen the autonomy of Chief Ministers in foreign policy-making? What are the strengths and weaknesses of Indian federalism in ethno-linguistic conflict management and what do the recent split of Andhra Pradesh or the proposed formation of Bodoland tell us about the dynamics underpinning the management of ethno-linguistic difference in contemporary India? The chapters originally published as a special issue of India Review.

The demand of State autonomy has remained a highly contentious issue in Indian Politics right since the time when accession of Kashmir to the Indian federalism took place. This is a demand that often generate tension between Center and the State. It is felt that the autonomy for the State may actually come to mean autonomy for Kashmir region only. It may not flow to the regional and sub-regional levels. The autonomy that extends beyond the State needs a multi-layered package of autonomy that extends beyond the State to the regional or sub-regional levels. Autonomy is needed to inspire confidence to the people, to make the system more democratic, to ensure speedier and balanced development and to make the administration accountable to the people and thus more efficient and above all, to evolve a composite and harmonious personality of the State. None of these can be achiever in the present unitary system of the state and by centralization of power and administration. A more federalized and bottom-up approach is needed to solve the problem of the State. This book is an attempt to examine the relationship of Kashmir identity with the Indian Union, the regional identity of Jammu and Ladakh with the State. This book on the one hand is the description of the relationship between the Centre and the State and on the other hand is the description of relationship between the three regions, namely Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. My prescription is deeply federal and decentralizing in nature.