Nationalism and dynamics of federal politics in contemporary India
- Indian Journal of Public Administration
- 70(1), Mar, 2024: p.196-209
Indian politics has seen a clear centralising tendency that could have serious implications for India’s federal character. Though centralisation was the hallmark of the Congress party’s dominance, it was seen challenged by the regional parties through their enhanced role in the coalitional governments at the Centre since the 1990s. What marks the present phase of centralisation is its being articulated by a grand unitarian and homogenising narrative of Hindu nationalism. The multi-dimensional tension between diversity and equality, one of the principal aspects of India’s democratic journey, when informed by the logic of centralisation could not only be seen impacting the Centre-State relations but also the political economy of development and policy regimes across the States. Through an analysis of the shift in the nationalist articulation and resultant process of centralisation reflects the challenges to and possibilities of democratic resolution of the federal question in India.- Reproduced
Indian politics - Centralising tendency - Federal character - Congress party - Regional parties - Coalitional governments - Hindu nationalism - Diversity and equality - Centre-State relations - Political economy - Development - Policy regimes - Nationalist articulation - Democratic resolution - Federal question