Articles
Federation or Union
Dt: 8/5/2018
Federation or Union
Dr T.H.Chowdary*
Chief Minister Sri Chandra Sekhara Rao garu has been talking of a Federal Front of regional parties. Sri Chandra Babu Naidu is reviving the NTR idea that the states are real and the center is Midhya ( fantasy). The regional parties are singing the song that India is a Federation of Sates. This is totally wrong. India is not a Federation. It is a Union of States, the Indian Union. Before 1947, there were no States, they were provinces under the direct rule of the British and there were more than 500 native princedoms ruled by Nawabs, Rajas and Maharajas. Some of them had legislatures , their own postal systems and even Railways. Under the India Independent Act of 1947, the British renounced their Paramountcy over the 500 and odd States and almost all of them excepting the Nizam and Maharaja of Kashmir acceded to the Indian Union or to Pakistan. The accession was to the Indian Union and not to the Federal State of India. The provinces were re-designated as States in our Constitution.
2. Our constitution uses the word Indian Union. There are certain subjects reserved for the Union, some to the States , (the new designation for the old Provinces) and some subjects are in the concurrent list. In respect of them both the States and the Union can legislate. The Union is paramount. It has the responsibility to keep the integrity and sovereignty of the country and its defence against foreign aggressors. Minus the Indian union the states will revert to the pre-18th century situation of disorderly and disintegrating princedoms and nawabis.
3. Statesmanship is required to preserve the Indian Union from disintegration. The inspiring speeches of Dr. B.R.Ambedkar and Dr Rajendra Prasad at the concluding session of the Constituent Assembly on Nov 1949 are worth recalling. Both of them expressed grave concern. They said if regionalism, linguism, casteism and communalism are what the leaders and political parties espouse the country would lose its freedom which it lost several times before but was restored by great fighters against foreign aggression but this time, if fissiparous tendencies prevail, then our freedom would be lost forever Governments will do well to include the speeches of these two great people in the text books in all the secondary schools. Dr Rajendra Prasad specially said that however noble our constitution is, if the people elected to the Legislatures are mean, the constitution cannot save this country. Today, the political leaders especially the regional parties are establishing family rule and succession. They are using the power of the state and its mechanism to create wealth for themselves to ensure their successive victories in elections and devolution of leadership and ministerships to members of their family. One Chief Minister (head of a regional party) is even talking of autonomy to the States. Such persons are seditious; are whipping up disaffection to the Union. Patriotic people should silence them. (486 words)
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