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Mainstream, VOL L, No 29, July 7, 2012

For Real Decentralisation of Federal Polity

Tuesday 10 July 2012

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BOOK REVIEW

by PREET PAL SINGH

Federalism, Democracy and Conflict Resolution by Arshi Khan and Kushal Pal (eds.); Macmillion Publishers India Ltd., Delhi; 2012; pp; xxi + 380; Price: Rs 900.

Politics of all types need democracy for conflict resolution. But pluralist politics also require federalism for this purpose because it is only the accommodation model of nation-building that can guarantee conflict resolution in them.

The adoption of a unitarian design is bound to lead to their disintegration owing to its assimilationist character. This is what had resulted in the division of Pakistan and the consequent emergence of Bangladesh in 1971.

But even the creation of a federal arrangement proves inadequate if it is not based on genuine democratic decentralisation of powers. This is what happened in the former USSR where the so-called democratic centralism, in fact authoritarian centralism, led to the collapse of the Soviet Union and culminated in the disintegration of a superpower capable of challenging and checking US imperialism.
India must learn a lesson from these disasters and strive to strengthen its federal edifice through the real decentralisation of its federal polity. Besides, it also requires secularisation on account of its de-secularisation since the 1980s. These two steps have become all the more necessary after the conversion of its command economy into a federal market economy as a result of the impact of the processes of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation that had been initiated following the adoption of the New Economic Policy in 1991.

The book being reviewed here is a welcome attempt to examine the efficacy of federalism and democracy in tackling the problem of conflict resolution in India and other developing countries. It comprises research papers presented at an international seminar organised by the Department of Political Science, Dyal Singh College, Karnal (Haryana) from March 4 to 6, 2010 and articles subsequently invited from various scholars from different nations.

The book has been divided into two parts. The first part—“Challenges to Federalism and Democracy in India”—contains 11 well-researched papers contributed by scholars in the disciplines of Political Science, Public Administration and Economics from various colleges, universities and research institutes of the country. The second part—“Managing Conflicts and Diversities”—includes 10 very well-argued articles by as many as 11 foreign scholars from different universities and research institutions of ten countries, and an Indian expert associated with the United Nations as a Consultant.

The editors deserve to be complimented for their success in securing these valuable write-ups and for arranging these in a systematic manner. The publishers must be appreciated for bringing out this elegant volume with a modest price at a juncture when the themes of federalism, democracy and conflict resolution have acquired great urgency and relevance on account of the recent developments at the national and inter-national levels. But the quality of this valuable work would have been further enhanced if they had given a little bit more attention to its vetting. Nevertheless, the book certainly deserves a place in the libraries of the colleges, universities and research institutes as it is bound to be of great help for the scholars and teachers in the disciplines of Political Science and Public Administration. It is also a must read for political leaders, administrators and mediapersons.

Dr Preet Pal Singh is on the faculty of the Haryana Institute of Rural Development, Nilokheri, Karnal (Haryana).

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