Chapter 7 Regional Aspirations| Class 12 Political Science

Class 12 Political Science Chapter 7 is entitled Regional Aspirations: Chapter 7 Regional Aspirations talks about the complex nature of India as per the Region and the Nation, different areas of tension like Jammu and Kashmir, The North-East, Punjab, Accommodation, and National Integration from an Indian perspective. The chapter also discusses the different aspirations of the tension areas in detail.

In this article, we are going to discuss the Class 12 Political Science Chapter 7 Regional Aspirations in detail.

Table of Content

Region and the Nation
Jammu and Kashmir
Punjab
The North-East
Accommodation and National Integration

Region and the Nation

The 1980s is a period of regional aspiration. At this time, the aspiration for autonomy was spread in the different areas of India. All of these aspirations were concluded with so many negotiation processes in the form of settlements. The central government played a major role in these negotiations but these types of accords were always violent or full of turmoils.

Approach As Per Indian Perspective

The Indian approach was adopted from the European culture but the Indian approach is totally different from them. In Europe, the people consider cultural diversity as a threat to the whole nation but in India, we consider it as a matter of unity and brotherhood. India adopted the democratic approach to diversity that allows all of its citizens to express their political views about their regional aspirations. India does not consider these aspirations as anti-national sentiment at all. Sometimes, the national unity overlooks their regional needs and their aspirations. On the other hand, the regional aspiration can harm the larger needs of a nation.

Areas Of Tension

After the independence of India, the country tried to cope with so many major problems like partition, huge migration, the integration process of the present princely states, and poverty. So many places like Jammu and Kashmir had a political aspiration, The North-East wanted to stay separated and in the south, the Dravidian movement lifted the idea of separation from the Indian states.

During the time of partition, Jammu and Kashmir became a hotcake between India and Pakistan. Jammu and Kashmir do not have any tendency or wish to join Pakistan and Pakistan wanted to capture it. Similarly, in the North-East region, the people do not want to stay with India. First Nagaland started strong movements for the separation from India and later on, Mizoram also walked in the same path of the protest.

The South region was also experiencing the Dravidian Movement and demanded a separate country. In the northern region, pro-Hindi-speaking people started to demand that Hindi should be our National Language. At last, in late 1950, the Punjabi people started to demand a separate state for the Sikh people.

Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir consist of three political regions including Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh. There are so many Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh people living in the Jammu region and Kashmir most of the people belong to Islam and the remaining people are Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists. In Ladakh, most of the people are Buddhists and Muslims.

During partition, Jammu and Kashmir was a Princely state and Maharaja Hari Singh was the king. The region’s aspiration and dispute started in the support of Kashmiriyat. In 1947, Pakistani tribal infiltrators captured Kashmir and forced Maharaja to ask for the help of the Indian Army. Indian Army sent back to the Pakistani infiltrators and Maharaja signed the “Instrument of Accession” with the Indian Government.

Sheik Abdullah became the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
From 1947, Pakistan sponsored so many infiltrations to spread violence in Kashmir.
Kashmir became a part of India and it was designated as the Union Territory of India.
Article 372 gives Kashmir a special status and autonomy where all provisions of the Indian Constitution are not applicable.
In 1974, Sheikh Abdullah became the first chief minister of Kashmir as per an agreement with Indira Gandhi.
After the death of Sheikh Abdullah, his son Farooq Abdullah became the CM of Kashmir.
The first fair election was conducted in Kashmir in 2002 and PDP won the election. They made a coalition government with Congress.
On 5th August 2019, Article 370 was abolished by the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019.

Punjab

The Punjab state have experienced different social and political changes after and before the partition. Once upon a time, the whole state was part of the of Saptha Sindhu. The Sapta Sindhu was a princely state under the British Raj. The state was formed on the basis of the Punjabi languages for the Sikh people on 1st November 1966.

After the independence, the Punjabi people waited for a long time to get their own state.
Their regional aspiration was to have a separate state based on their language which was Punjabi.
After 1947, Punjabi people demanded to give them a separate state.
The political wing of Sikhs and Punjabi people was known as the “Akali Dal”. The Akali Dal demanded in front of the Indian Government to form a “Punjabi Suba”.
The demand of the Akali Dal challenged the central government and created a strong support base all over the state.
The Anandpur Sahib Resolution on of those major and advanced steps that demanded federalism with full Sikh autonomy.
After the formation of the State of Punjab, the movement direction changed to so many different issues like the water distribution problem over the Ravi-Beas river and increasing demand for the autonomous Sikh identity.

The North-East

The North-East region consists of seven states which are also known as the ‘Seven Sisters’. The North-East region was recognized in 1972 and this recognition has not ended the autonomy demands. The regional aspirations and the idea of the North-East region first came from the side of Bodos, Karbis, and Dimasas. These people demanded the separate states of the North-East. In 1985, the Assam Accord was signed between the Indian governmenr and the North-East region people to solve the problem of living outsiders in Assam.

After the independence whole North-East region was part of the Assam state.
Only Tripura and Manipur were separated from Assam.
So many opposition, riots, and protests happened throughout the state for different problems and issues.
The central government broke the whole Assam state and created more than three new states to suppress these problems. Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh were the new states that were broken from Assam.
In 1972, the central government recognized the seven states as North-East.
Secessionist Movements in the Northeast happened due to the demand for autonomy in some regions or states like Mizoram and Nagaland.
After 1947, the hill area of the Mizoram became the autonomous district of Assam.
The movement became popular when the Assam government failed to tackle the great famine in Mizoram in 1959.
This problem increased the anger of the people and they formed the Mizo National Front (MNF). Laldenga was their leader.
Mizo National Front (MNF) is experienced in guerilla tactics and they got support from Pakistan. Pakistan gave shelter to this separatist somewhere in East Pakistan.
In 1986, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and Laldenga signed the peace agreement. In this agreement, Mizoram became a state and Mizo National Front (MNF) gave up on its secessionist struggle.
After this peace agreement, Mizoram became the most peaceful state in India.
The same incidents happened in Nagaland too. They started violent activities in the state.
The government signed the peace agreement with the Nagas.
There was no negotiation between the rebels of Nagaland and the government of India.

Accommodation and National Integration

Accommodation and National Integration majorly signify regional aspirations. Accommodation is the process of maintaining the different cultures in the same nation. On the other hand, National Integration helps the citizens to develop a sense of unity in a diverse country. National Integration is an idea that makes a country more strong and organized by holding different religions and different people in one place. Maybe, people can experience so many differences but they maintain their social harmony due to the unity.

FAQs on Class 12 Political Science Chapter Chapter 7 Regional Aspirations

What is the summary of chapter regional aspirations class 12?

The chapter introduces students to the various political aspirations of the regions in the Indian SubContinent. The chapter talks about nation building, and the regional autonomy that the regions demanded. We also highlight various accords that took place: Punjab, North-East etc.

What are the North-East regional aspirations Class 12?

The North-East region consisted of seven states referred to as ‘Seven Sisters’. The reorganisation of North-East was complete by 1972 but did not end the autonomy demands i.e. Bodos, Karbis, Dimasas demanded separate state in Assam and issues were resolved with the grant of some autonomy to these issues.

What was the regional aspirations Dravidian movement?

This was one of the first regional movements in Indian politics. Though some sections of this movement had ambitions of creating a Dravida nation, the movement did not take to arms. It used democratic means like public debates and the electoral platform to achieve its ends.

What is regional aspirations class 12 political science?

As democratic experiment unfolded, people from different regions began to express their aspirations for autonomy. Sometimes these aspirations were expressed outside the framework of the Indian union. These involved long struggles and often aggressive and armed assertions by the people.

What are the two reasons for regional aspirations?

Regional aspirations in India ranged from demands of statehood and economic development to autonomy and separation. These aspirations have tested the capacity of democratic politics to accommodate the demands of diverse sections of the society.

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