Laskar, Nazmula Hussain  <br/><br/>
Regionalism in India: A critical observation 

 - Dialogue  
 - 21(4), Apr-Jun, 2020: p.64-76 
<br/><br/> India is passing through an evolutionary crisis, a crisis of identity and integrity. The emergence of the 29th state i.e. Telengana- carved out of the big state of Andhra Pradesh has given a new momentum to the crisis. It has led to a cry for the creation of more new states like Vidharba in Maharastra, Bodoland in Assam, Gorkhaland in West Bengal and Harit Pradesh in Uttar Pradesh. Regionally based ethnic, tribal, cultural or religious sub-groups have begun to make demands which at time border on separatism. The development of these regional forces in India is a natural consequence of the given heterogeneity of Indian Society. India is regarded as a continent of many communities united through shared experiences but powerfully motivated by parochial and regional considerations. This has produced multi-cultural ethos. The political manifestation of such multicultural ethos is evident in the emergence of regionally based political movements amidst a multiplicity of political identities at the different levels of Indian polity. The process of regionalisation of Indian politics is both the cause and effect of indigenisation and democratization of politics.1 The traditional social structure with a modern political super-structure has given rise to incoherence between society and politics in India. In this paper an attempt has been made to examine the nature, growth and development of regionalisation of Indian politics in the context of ‘specificity’ of the Indian political system. Reproduced