"While the national political parties in India favour centralisation, the regional parties are in favour of State autonomy." Comment. (UPSC CSE Mains 2022 - General Studies Paper 2)
- Centralisation means concentration of decision making and planning at one unit so as to bring in uniformity in the process. It often means consolidation of power or authority. State autonomy refers to degree of control over resources independent of any central authority. There has been tussle between the national and regional political parties over issues such as development, representation at forums and finances.
- Political parties are recognised as national parties or state parties depending upon their performance in general election of Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha. The conditions for being listed as a national or a state party are specified under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
National Political Parties favour centralisation
- To achieve uniformity in goals and objectives of political parties
- To have better control over party cadre members
- To achieve uniformity in programme of political parties
- To better target the public at large
- To better their chances of winning upcoming elections
However, centralisation is generally associated with annihilation of regional parties and regional issues and gives prime importance to issues concerning national security. It often demands obedience, overlook accountability and transparency. Thus, centralisation should not overlook the regional issues like development of region, employment etc.
Regional parties favour state autonomy
- Regional parties are formed on the lines of identity, statehood, ethnicity, development.,
- They are in close proximity with the local issues, needs and demands
- They are against the bureaucratic bottleneck
- To fasten the decision making at ground level
- To better mobilise resources according to the need of population
- To better their ambition of becoming national parties
Regional parties in India are of opinion that regional issues are different from national issues. However, rise in regional parties has also led to another problem of horse trading of members which has pushed the state’s demand for autonomy and development at backseat for certain political gains. This is unhealthy for any democracy. Thus, it is necessary that demand of regional parties are aligned with unity and integrity of India.
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