Quick Edit | States of the nation
Quick Edit | States of the nation
Any important decision is taken with everybody’s consent, after consultations with everybody," noted Union cabinet minister Ambika Soni on Thursday, justifying the decision to put on hold the creation of a Telangana state just two weeks after the very same government buckled under pressure and announced the formation of the new state.
Bumbling through such issues of national importance is an embarrassment. The result is there for all to see. Andhra Pradesh is once again on the boil, even as there is a growing clamour for the break-up of other states. A Pandora’s box has been opened.
Opinion is almost equally divided around the country on the efficacy of smaller states: Some believe smaller units will deliver better growth and governance, while the opposing view is that small states will be corrupt and feudal baronies.
This is not the time for tired homilies about the need for “consultations". India needs a structured framework to discuss this dilemma, if moral bullying and violence are not to win the day. A second States Reorganization Commission is one option.
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