In the North-East, which now consists of seven States, also referred to as ‘seven sisters,  regional aspirations reached a turning point in the 1980s. The region has only 4% of the country’s population and is connected to the rest of the country by a small corridor of about 22 Km. The region shares boundaries with China, Myanmar, and Bangladesh and serves as India’s gateway to SouthEast Asia (Refer to Figure 7.2). 

Change since 1947

Political Reorganisation of North-East: Entire region has undergone considerable political reorganization as Nagaland State was created in 1963; Manipur, Tripura, and Meghalaya in 1972 while Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh became separate States only in 1987. 

• Impact of Partition: The Partition of India in 1947 had reduced the North-East to a landlocked region and affected its economy. 
• Developmental Isolation: The region suffered neglect in developmental terms and its politics too remained insulated. 
• Demographic Changes: Most States also underwent major demographic changes due to influx of migrants from neighbouring States and countries. 

Different sets of Demands

• Isolation of the region, its complex social character, and its backwardness, all resulted in a complicated set of demands from different states of the North-East. 
• Vast international border and weak communication between the North-East and the rest of India have further added to the delicate nature of politics there. 
• Three issues dominate politics of the North-East: demands for autonomy, movements for secession, and opposition to ‘outsiders’.

Demands for Autonomy

At independence the entire region except Manipur and Tripura comprised the State of Assam. Demands for political autonomy arose when non-Assamese felt that the Assam government was imposing Assamese language on them. 

• Demand for Separate Tribal State: Leaders of major tribal communities wanted to separate from Assam and formed the Eastern India Tribal Union which later transformed into a more comprehensive All Party Hill Leaders Conference in 1960. 
• Reorganization of the North-East: Finally instead of one tribal State, the Central Government had to create Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh out of Assam. 
  • Tripura and Manipur were upgraded into States too. 
• Continuing Demands for Autonomy: Reorganisation of North-East was completed by 1972 but it did not end demand for autonomy. 
  • In Assam, for example, communities like Bodos, Karbis, and Dimasas wanted separate States. 
  • Same area was claimed by more than one community. Issues were resolved with a grant of autonomy to Karbis and Dimasas under District Councils and Bodos was recently granted Autonomous Council.

Secessionist movements

Demands for autonomy were easier to respond to, but it was much more difficult when some groups demanded a separate country, not in momentary anger but consistently as a principled position. 

In Mizo Hills

After Independence, the Mizo Hills area was made an autonomous district within Assam. Some Mizos believed that they were never a part of British India and therefore did not belong to the Indian Union. 

• Birth of the MNF: When the Assam government failed to respond adequately to the great famine of 1959 in Mizo hills, the secession movement gained popular support and Mizos formed the Mizo National Front (MNF) under the leadership of Laldenga. 
• Mizo Insurgency Begins: In 1966  MNF started a long battle between Mizo insurgents and the Indian army. 
  • The MNF, supported by the Pakistani government, fought a guerilla war, and secured shelter in then East Pakistan. 
• Indian Counterinsurgency Operations: The Indian security forces countered it with a series of repressive measures and at one point even Air Force was used. 
  • At the end of two decades of insurgency, Laldenga came back from exile in Pakistan and started negotiations with the Indian government.
• Mizoram Peace Accord: In 1986 a peace agreement was signed between Rajiv Gandhi and Laldenga. 
  • As per this accord Mizoram was granted full-fledged statehood with special powers and  MNF agreed to give up the secessionist struggle. 
  • Laldenga took over as the Chief Minister. 

In Nagaland 

• Led by Angami Zaphu Phizo, a section of Nagas declared independence from India way back in 1951. 
  • Phizo turned down many offers of a negotiated settlement. 
• The Naga National Council launched an armed struggle for sovereignty of Nagas and later a section of Nagas signed an agreement with the Government of India but this was not acceptable to other rebels.

Movements against outsiders

The large-scale migration either from India or abroad, into the North-East gave rise to a special kind of problem that pitted local communities against people who were seen as outsiders or migrants. These latecomers are seen as encroachers on scarce resources like land and potential competitors to employment opportunities and political power. 

Movements Against Outsiders during 1979 – 1985 

• Fear of Demographic Change: Assamese suspected that there were huge numbers of illegal Bengali Muslim settlers from Bangladesh. 
  • They felt that unless these outsiders were detected and deported they would reduce indigenous Assamese into a minority. 
• Economic Discontent and Resource Exploitation: There were issues like poverty and unemployment in Assam despite the existence of natural resources like oil, tea and coal. 
  • It was felt that these were drained out of the State without any commensurate benefit to the people. 
• In 1979 the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), a students’ group, led an anti-foreigner movement. 

Anti-foreigner movement

Anti-Illegal Migration Movement: The movement was against illegal migrations, against domination of Bengalis and other outsiders, and faulty voter registers that included the names of lakhs of immigrants.

• Demand for Expulsion of Post-1951 Migrants: They demanded that all outsiders who had entered the State after 1951 should be sent back. 
• Mobilization and Agitation: The agitation followed many novel methods and mobilized all sections of Assamese people. 
  • It also involved many tragic and violent incidents leading to loss of property and human lives. 
  • Movement also tried to blockade movement of trains and supply of oil from Assam to refineries in Bihar. 

Signing of Peace Accord

Eventually, the Rajiv Gandhi-led government entered into negotiations with AASU leaders and signed an accord in 1985.  According to this accord those foreigners who migrated into Assam during and after the Bangladesh war and since were to be identified and deported. 

Change in Politics

With the successful completion of the movement, AASU and Asom Gana Sangram Parishad organized themselves as a regional political party called Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). 

• It came to power in 1985 with a promise of resolving foreign national problems as well as building a ‘Golden Assam’. 

Immigration is still an issue

• The Assam Accord brought peace and changed the face of politics in Assam, but it did not solve the problem of immigration. 
  • The issue of ‘outsiders’ continues to be a live issue in many other places in the North-East. 
• Loss of Indigenous Majority: In Tripura, for instance, original inhabitants have been reduced to being a minority in their land. 
  • The same feeling informs hostility of local population to Chakma refugees in Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. 

The lessons drawn from these examples

• Regional aspirations – a part of democratic politics: Even in smaller countries like the UK there are regional aspirations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. 
  • Spain faces secessionist movement from Basques and so does Sri Lanka from Tamils. 
• Democratic negotiations: Instead of treating these issues as simple law and order problems, the Government negotiated settlements with regional movements. 
  • This produced a reconciliation that reduced the tensions existing in many regions. 
• Power sharing: It is not sufficient to have a formal democratic structure. Besides that, groups and parties from the region need to be given a share in power at the State level. 
  • Similarly, regions together form a nation. So, regions must have a share in deciding destiny of a nation. 
• Regional imbalance: The regional imbalance in economic development contributes to the feeling of regional discrimination. 
  • Regional imbalance is a fact of India’s development experience. 
  • If some states remain poor and others develop rapidly, it leads to regional imbalances and inter-regional migrations. 
• Farsightedness of our Constitution Makers: Our Constitution makers were farsighted in dealing with questions of diversity. 
  • While most states have equal powers, there are special provisions for some states. 
  • Sixth Schedule of the Constitution allows different tribes complete autonomy in preserving their practices and customary laws.
  • Constitutional framework in India is much more flexible and accommodative. Therefore, regional aspirations are not encouraged to espouse separatism.  

Leaders and Their Work

Key Figures	About
E.V. Ramasami Naicker (1879-1973)	He was known as Periyar (the respected) and a strong supporter of atheism.  He was famous for his anti-caste struggle and rediscovery of Dravidian identity. He was initially a worker of the Congress party. later started the self-respect movement (1925).  He also led the anti-Brahmin movement Worked for the Justice party and later founded Dravidar Kazhagam.  He was opposed to Hindi and domination of north India. He propounded the thesis that north Indians and Brahmins are Aryans.
Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah (1905-1982)	A leader of Jammu and Kashmir and proponent of autonomy and secularism for J & K.  He led the popular struggle against princely rule. He opposed Pakistan due to its non-secular character. Leader of the National Conference which was a secular organisation and had a long association with the Congress.  Prime Minister of J&K immediately after its accession with India in 1947. Dismissed and jailed by Government of India from 1953 to 1964 and again from 1965 to 1968. He became Chief Minister of the State after an agreement with Indira Gandhi in 1974.
Master Tara Singh (1885–1967)	He was a prominent Sikh religious and political leader.  One of the early leaders of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and leader of the Akali movement.  He supported the freedom movement but opposed Congress’ policy of negotiating only with Muslims.  After Independence, he was the senior advocate of formation of a separate Punjab State.
Sant Harchand Singh Longowal (1932–1985)	He was a sikh political and religious leader. He began his political career in mid-sixties as an Akali leader and became president of Akali Dal in 1980.  Assassinated by an unidentified Sikh youth.
Laldenga (1937-1990)	He was founder and leader of the Mizo National Front. He turned into a rebel after the experience of the famine in 1959 and led an armed struggle against India for two decades. He signed an agreement with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1986 and became the Chief Minister of the newly created State of Mizoram.
Angami Zapu Phizo (1904-1990)	A leader of the movement for independent Nagaland and president of Naga National Council. He began an armed struggle against the Indian state and went ‘underground’, stayed in Pakistan, and spent the last three decades of his life in exile in the UK.
Kazi Lhendup Dorji Khangsarpa (1904)	Leader of the democracy movement in Sikkim. He was the founder of Sikkim Praja Mandal and later leader of the Sikkim State Congress.  In 1962, he founded the Sikkim National Congress.  After an electoral victory, he led the movement for integration of Sikkim with India and after the integration, Sikkim Congress merged with the Indian National Congress.
Rajiv Gandhi (1944–1991)	He was the son of Indira Gandhi. became the Prime Minister of India between 1984 and 1989.  He joined active politics after 1980. He reached agreements with militants in Punjab, Mizoram, and the students’ union in Assam.  He pressed for a more open economy and computer technology. He also sent an Indian Army contingent on the request of the Sri Lankan government, to sort out the Sinhala Tamil conflict. Assassinated by suspected LTTE suicide bomber.

Conclusion

Nation-building is a slow process. It can not be achieved overnight. Regional demands from different parts of India exemplify the principle of unity with diversity. In many cases the challenge of diversity was met by redrawing internal boundaries of a country. Yet this did not lead to resolution of all problems and for all times. Even today, some of the issues of national integration are not fully resolved. Regional aspirations ranging from demands of statehood and economic development to autonomy and separation keep coming up. A large and diverse democracy like India must deal with these issues regularly. Thus, politics in India has succeeded in accepting regionalism as part and parcel of democratic politics.

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