Stand-alone states

India should review its democratic structure and move towards a federal form of government like the US or Germany.

India should review its democratic structure and move towards a federal form of government like the US or Germany. The reasoning behind this stand is that each state is increasingly developing a consciousness of its own identity. This was there in the past too, but a sharper focus is being given to it in the current context since with increasing economic development, local people often feel left out of the loop. This resultant perception of deprivation compounded with an inability to acquire the means of earning a livelihood fuels the fires of strife, revolt and terrorism.

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We have seen the genesis of this in West Bengal just after the Naxalite movement petered out in the late 1970s. Even in states like the Punjab, where people have a distinct physical, cultural and social identity, a degree of alienation exists. So let the states stand on their own feet and look to the Centre only for larger national issues like defence and foreign policy.

S Kamat
Goa