Small is beautiful

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has reiterated his government's decision to constitute three separate states -- Uttaranchal, Vananchal a...

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has reiterated his government8217;s decision to constitute three separate states 8212; Uttaranchal, Vananchal and Chhattisgarh. He has argued that there is no need for a states8217; reorganisation commission as the Assemblies of the three states from which they will be carved out have passed the necessary resolutions.

Thus, according to him, nothing prevents the government from honouring its promise. But the issue is not as simple as has been made out by the BJP. For instance, the resolution passed by the UP Assembly at least twice in the past calls the proposed state comprising the state8217;s hill districts Uttarakhand, not Uttaranchal. As of now, there is no agreement on its geographical area. The BJP has clarified that Vananchal will be confined to certain districts within Bihar to allay fears that it is another name for Jharkhand, a contiguous tribal area spread over Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.

There is no political consensus on the areas that should comewithin the jurisdiction of Vananchal. The resolution on Chhattisgarh was passed by the MP Assembly so long ago that many of its present members may not even be aware of it. All this shows that the creation of the three states is not as simple an exercise as the BJP makes it out to be. Once the government sits down to the task of drawing up the new states, it will realise that some parties which may have in the past welcomed the move are no longer on its side. Laloo Yadav, for instance, is unlikely to agree to any slicing of his state. Besides, the government8217;s decision is bound to encourage similar separatist demands, some of which are even older than the demand for Uttaranchal.

It will not require much effort for those espousing the demands for Gorkhaland, Bodoland, Telengana and Vidharba, to mention a few, to revive their agitation which had taken a heavy toll of men and material. The governments in the past sought to tackle separatism by promising autonomy through the setting up of regional autonomouscouncils. The question why the Bodos and the supporters of Subhas Ghising should remain content with their councils when the Uttarakhandis and Chhattisgarhis can have their own separate states will naturally arise. It is apparent that the BJP has not given serious thought to the complications involved in its decision. What seems to have influenced the party is realpolitik as can be inferred from the fact that despite supporting the demand for Vidarbha, the BJP has not included it in its National Agenda because its ally, the Shiv Sena, is opposed to it.

The experience over the years suggests that smaller states are easier to govern. The sheer size of states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar militates against efficient administration, a problem these states have sought to manage by creating smaller and smaller districts. There is, therefore, a fit case for splitting them into many units by conceding the demands for Mithilanchal, Vindhya Pradesh and Mahakoshal. But this cannot be accomplished in ahaphazard way. Since the BJP is keen to review the Constitution, why can8217;t it appoint a states8217; reorganisation commission to consider the whole issue in the proper perspective?