Editorial, "FOR A UNITED STATES OF INDIA," in LAW ANIMATED WORLD, 29 February 2016 issue, Vol. 12, Part 1, No. 4

FOR A UNITED STATES OF INDIA

Nowadays everybody is talking of nationalism in our country – left, right and center. The Right, broadly led by BJP, RSS, VHP, etc., mainly aiming their guns at whoever does not toe their line or ideology, with the left too, a motley of extreme left to parliamentary ‘right’ communists and socialists, strangely, defending themselves on the ground of being real patriots and nationalists fighting for azaadi of common man and various communities/ nationalities within the country and also accusing the right of anti-nationalism [for e.g. decrying RSS for not, till recently, hoisting the national flag though it is hard to understand how one can compel any person or organization or group to hoist the national flag or sing the national song, though it can be justly demanded that they don’t disrespect either]. They also do not shirk singing Janaganamana, if not Vande Mataram, on occasions to parade their patriotism/ nationalism. The center swings this way and that way, but now sees an opportunity in countering the established ‘right’. But it is a well accepted proposition that our country is itself a mix of various races, tribes, religions, communities – linguistic, ethnic and otherwise – and that only the motto of ‘unity in diversity’ can save and promote our unity and progress. Prior to the advent of British Rule there was scarcely any political unity in India and any much of unity existing was mainly cultural, religious and in allied matters. If there are banes of the British Rule, there were boons too, and one such is of welding this country into a broadly united polity and that by giving rise to oppositional nationalist forces like the Indian National Congress and others also for making a political unity – even if it was tentative, distorted and wanting in many respects. Freedom from British Rule has resulted in horrible and tragic consequences – in the main, partition of the country – a big blow at this political unity and concept of one-nationalism; and the gradual rising of various fissiparous/ sub-national/national movements was also expected and is happening. The real way out is to try all the best to bolster up and make entrenched the already talked about ‘unity in diversity’ and rather make our country a real United States of India, the ideal of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association of martyrs like Bismil, Ashfaq, Azad, Bhagat Singh, et al, with a really meaningful federal setup, than what is now existing as a shabbily forged Union of India. §§§