The Clarion- International Multidisciplinary Journal
Year : 2012, Volume : 1, Issue : 2
First page : ( 182) Last page : ( 188)
Print ISSN : 2277-1697. Online ISSN : 2277-937X.

State, conflict and India's North East

Choudhury Arupjyoti

Department of Political Science, Cotton College, Guwahati, India

Corresponding author: arupch1@rediffmail.com

Online published on 2 July, 2012.

Abstract

The paper starts with a core hypothesis which is Diagonostic in nature. The diagonastic perspective has identified the existence of Internal Colonialism in respect to the policy approach of the Indian state towards the North Eastern part of it. Despite being rich in natural resources with fertile land, rich forests and mineral deposits, the development of the region is largely skewed due to policy deficiencies in the colonial and post colonial period. One would certainly like to point out that India's North East has witnessed an increasing frequency of the movements of identity assertions on the part of diverse ethnic groups in the region. These communities had been pressing for different demands like Independent territorial space, within and sometimes outside, special constitutional or political safeguards for their respective identities. Nobody would deny the fact that the trend of ethnic assertions is itself a healthy indication of a developing democracy where more and more people are being recruited into them political process. But the State response to the entire issue of ethnic assertions in the North East is so insensitive that it has converted many a democratic movements of the region into a violent conversation between the State and the society. The situation depicts a syndrome that needs to be addressed with careful handling on the part of a sensitive State. The second hypothesis in the paper is prescriptive one. It is a kind of survival strategy for the Indian State to maintain its sovereignty and integrity.

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Keywords

Conflict resolution, diagonastic perspective, survival strategy.

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