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Regionalism

In regionalism people belonging to different regions have a strong sense of developing and improving upon the conditions of their own regions and make it equal with the already advanced regions. As long as regionalism exist in healthy state of condition it doesn’t cause any problem but regionalism takes its ugliest face when one regional group have strong feeling for one’s own region with anti-feeling of other’s regions. Regionalism is often being exploited by many political personnel as to command sympathy from various votebanks.Many regional parties like DMK in Tamil Nadu got roots and their local leaders began to get prominence in their own states since these had roots in the regions. Central leadership also could not ignore them and had to negotiate and settle issues with them. Regional in India has assumed various forms and found in more than one way.

The main forms are demand for secession from the Indian Union. Some regions in India especially in northeast have been demanding for separate states from the Indian union on the basis that the Indian govt has been giving them step-motherly treatment plus they want to maintain their own distinct culture. Some regions demand separate states so that they themselves can develop their own culture and language. Uttaranchal and Jharkhand are case in point. Another form of regionalism is seen in the form of inter-state disputes largely over sharing of mineral resources and river-water as happened between Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.