Description
Why are constituent states within the union increasingly getting marginalised in spite of India being a federal democratic state? The paper grapples with this puzzle by historicising the crisis in contemporary India. Thankfully, Article 356 is no longer used as frequently – as it was in the past – to dismiss the governments of the constituent states that dared to defy the dictates of the central government in Delhi. Nonetheless, observed from the perspective of constituent states, the ‘federal’ feature is increasingly becoming non-existent owing to a Delhi-centric top-down imposition. Curiously some states are more vociferous than others; for instance, Tamil Nadu in the past and West Bengal in the present have been fiercely resisting the domination by Delhi. However, gradually most constituent states are feeling the pinch and experiencing an uneasiness vis-à-vis Delhi. It is tempting to say that the problem lies in the exclusionary politics of an ideologically committed government with a comfortable majority. Perhaps, it is accurate to say that the devil is in the details, in this case, the political and constitutional design of India, which provides ample leeway for any central government in Delhi, with an overwhelming majority to pursue exclusionary endeavours unabashedly, if it wants to.
