Regional Aspirations, Class 12 Political Science

What Regional Aspirations is about

Weightage: Politics in India since Independence: Regional Aspirations carries 6 of the 80 theory marks.Source: CBSE Political Science (028) syllabus 2026-27, course structure

Key concepts

Region and the nation: the Indian approach

NCERT section Region and the Nation; Indian Approach; Areas of Tension

Indian approach to diversity:

• The nation does not deny regions and linguistic groups the right to keep their own culture; India chose a united social life without losing the distinctiveness of its cultures.
• Indian nationalism balances unity and diversity; the nation does not negate the region. This differs from many European countries that saw cultural diversity as a threat.
• India took a democratic approach: democracy allows political expression of regional aspirations and does not see them as anti-national. Parties can appeal to regional identity, and regional problems get attention in policy-making.
• This can cause tensions: national unity may overshadow regional needs, or regional concern may ignore national needs.

Areas of tension after 1947:

• Jammu and Kashmir: not only an India-Pakistan conflict but a question of the political aspirations of the Kashmir valley's people.
• North-East: no consensus in parts about being in India; movements for separation in Nagaland then Mizoram.
• South: some Dravid movement groups briefly toyed with a separate country.
• Linguistic states agitations (Andhra, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat); anti-Hindi protests in Tamil Nadu and pro-Hindi agitations in the north; Punjabi-speaking agitation leading to Punjab and Haryana (1966); later Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand.
• Kashmir and Nagaland proved too complex for the first phase; new challenges arose in Punjab, Assam and Mizoram.

Dravidian movement (box): one of the first regional movements; slogan that the north thrives while the south decays. It used democratic means (debates, elections), not arms. E. V. Ramasami 'Periyar' led the Dravidar Kazhagam, opposing Brahmin dominance and northern domination. The DMK entered politics with a three-pronged agitation (1953-54): restoring Kallakudi's name (renamed Dalmiapuram), more Tamil cultural history in schools, and against the state's craft education scheme; it also opposed Hindi as official language. The 1965 anti-Hindi agitation boosted it; it won power in 1967. After Annadurai's death the DMK split (DMK and AIADMK); Dravidian parties have dominated Tamil Nadu. It shows the compatibility of regionalism and nationalism.

Worked example

How is the Indian approach to regional diversity different from that of many European countries? (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Many European countries saw cultural diversity as a threat to the nation.
2. India balanced unity with diversity: it allowed regions to keep their cultures and treated the political expression of regional aspirations as democratic, not anti-national.

Answer: India accommodates regional diversity democratically instead of treating it as a threat.

Jammu and Kashmir: regions and roots of the problem

NCERT section Jammu and Kashmir; Roots of the Problem

J&K had special status under Article 370 but still experienced violence, cross-border terrorism and political instability, with loss of many lives and the large-scale displacement of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley.

Three regions:

• Jammu: foothills and plains; predominantly Hindu, with Muslims, Sikhs and others.
• Kashmir: mainly the Kashmir valley; mostly Kashmiri Muslims, with Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and others.
• Ladakh: mountainous, very little population, almost equally Buddhist and Muslim.

Roots:

• Before 1947 J&K was a princely state; Maharaja Hari Singh wanted independence, joining neither country.
• Pakistani leaders thought Kashmir 'belonged' to Pakistan because of its Muslim majority, but people saw themselves as Kashmiris above all: Kashmiriyat.
• The popular movement led by Sheikh Abdullah of the National Conference wanted to remove the Maharaja but opposed joining Pakistan; the NC was secular, linked with the Congress; Abdullah was Nehru's friend.
• October 1947: Pakistan sent tribal infiltrators; the Maharaja sought Indian military help. India drove them back from the valley after the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession.
• Since Pakistan still controlled a large part, the issue went to the UN; its resolution of 21 April 1948 proposed three steps: Pakistan withdraws all its nationals; India progressively reduces forces to maintain law and order; a free and impartial plebiscite. No progress was made.
• Sheikh Abdullah became J&K's Prime Minister in March 1948; India granted provisional autonomy under Article 370.

Worked example

What is meant by 'Kashmiriyat'? How did it shape the politics of 1947? (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Kashmiriyat is the regional aspiration of the people of Kashmir, who saw themselves as Kashmiris above all, rather than only by religion.
2. Hence the popular movement under Sheikh Abdullah opposed the Maharaja but also opposed joining Pakistan, contrary to Pakistani leaders' claims based on the Muslim majority.

Answer: Kashmiri identity above religion; it led the popular movement to oppose both princely rule and joining Pakistan.

J&K: external and internal disputes and politics since 1948

NCERT section External and Internal Disputes; Politics since 1948; Insurgency and After; 2002 and Beyond

External dispute: Pakistan has always claimed the valley; its 1947 tribal invasion left part of the state under its control: Indian territory under Pakistan's illegal occupation, called Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK). Kashmir has remained a major India-Pakistan issue.

Internal dispute over special status (two opposite reactions):

• A section outside J&K felt Article 370 prevented full integration and should be revoked.
• A section, mostly Kashmiris, felt autonomy was not enough, with three grievances: the promise to refer accession to the people was not fulfilled (demand for plebiscite); special federal status had been eroded (demand for 'Greater State Autonomy'); democracy was not institutionalised in J&K as in the rest of India.

Politics since 1948:

• Sheikh Abdullah carried out land reforms benefiting ordinary people but differed with the Centre on Kashmir's status; he was dismissed in 1953 and detained for years.
• Successors depended on the Centre; there were allegations of rigging. Between 1953 and 1974 the Congress was influential; a truncated NC later merged with the Congress.
• 1965: the state's Prime Minister was redesignated Chief Minister; Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq became the first CM.
• 1974: Indira Gandhi-Sheikh Abdullah agreement; Abdullah became CM; NC won the 1977 election.
• After his death (1982), Farooq Abdullah became CM but was dismissed by the Governor; this Centre-backed dismissal caused resentment, deepened by the NC-Congress alliance of 1986.

Insurgency and after:

• The 1987 election gave the NC-Congress alliance a big win, but it was widely believed to be rigged; with resentment against inefficient administration, a political crisis grew into insurgency.
• By 1989 a militant movement for a separate Kashmiri nation, with moral, material and military support from Pakistan; years of President's rule; extraordinary violence from 1990.
• Elections in 1996 brought the NC back with a demand for regional autonomy; in 2002 a PDP-Congress coalition took over.

2002 and beyond:

• Mufti Mohammed headed the government for three years, then Ghulam Nabi Azad (Congress); President's rule from July 2008.
• 2009: NC-Congress coalition under Omar Abdullah; disturbances led by the Hurriyat Conference continued.
• 2014: highest turnout in 25 years; PDP-BJP coalition under Mufti Mohammed Sayeed; after his death Mehbooba Mufti became the first woman CM (April 2016); President's rule in June 2018 after the BJP withdrew support.
• 5 August 2019: the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019 ended Article 370; the state became two Union Territories: Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The textbook calls them living examples of India's plural society, with diverse political and developmental aspirations sought to be met by the Act.

Worked example

What were the three grievances of those who felt the autonomy under Article 370 was not enough? (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. The promise that accession would be referred to the people after the tribal invasion was normalised was not fulfilled, leading to a demand for a plebiscite.
2. The special federal status under Article 370 was felt to have been eroded in practice, leading to a demand for 'Greater State Autonomy'.
3. Democracy as practised in the rest of India was felt not to have been similarly institutionalised in J&K.

Answer: Unfulfilled plebiscite promise, erosion of autonomy, and weak democratic institutions.

Punjab: context and the Anandpur Sahib Resolution

NCERT section Punjab; Political Context

Background: Punjab's social composition changed with Partition and with the carving out of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Punjab had to wait till 1966 for a Punjabi-speaking state. The Akali Dal, formed in 1920 as the political wing of the Sikhs, led the 'Punjabi suba' movement; Sikhs became a majority in the truncated state.

Akalis' precarious position: they formed coalition governments in 1967 and 1977, but:
1. Their government was dismissed by the Centre mid-term.
2. They lacked strong support among Hindus.
3. The Sikh community was divided by caste and class; Dalits (Hindu or Sikh) supported the Congress more.

Anandpur Sahib Resolution (1973):

• Passed at the Akali conference at Anandpur Sahib; asserted regional autonomy and sought to redefine centre-state relations.
• Spoke of the aspirations of the Sikh qaum (community or nation) and the goal of the bolbala (dominance) of the Sikhs.
• It was a plea for strengthening federalism, but had limited appeal among Sikh masses.

After 1980: when the Akali government was dismissed in 1980, the Akali Dal launched a movement on sharing river water with neighbouring states; some religious leaders raised the question of an autonomous Sikh identity.

Worked example

Why did the Anandpur Sahib Resolution become controversial? (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. It was a plea for regional autonomy and redefining centre-state relations, i.e. stronger federalism.
2. But it also spoke of the aspirations of the Sikh 'qaum' and the goal of the 'bolbala' (dominance) of the Sikhs, which could be read as a call for a separate Sikh identity.

Answer: Because alongside federalism it spoke of the Sikh qaum and Sikh dominance, raising fears of separatism.

Punjab: cycle of violence and road to peace

NCERT section Cycle of Violence; Road to Peace

Cycle of violence:

• Leadership passed from moderate Akalis to extremist elements, and the movement became an armed insurgency. Militants made the Golden Temple in Amritsar their headquarters and an armed fortress.
• June 1984: 'Operation Blue Star', army action in the Golden Temple, flushed out the militants but damaged the temple and deeply hurt Sikh sentiments; many Sikhs in India and abroad saw it as an attack on their faith, giving impetus to militants.
• 31 October 1984: PM Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her bodyguards, who were Sikhs seeking revenge for Blue Star.
• Anti-Sikh violence followed in Delhi and parts of north India for almost a week: more than two thousand Sikhs were killed in Delhi and hundreds elsewhere (e.g. Kanpur, Bokaro, Chas). What hurt most was the delay in restoring normalcy and that perpetrators were not effectively punished. The Nanavati Commission (2005) found evidence of organised, systematic attacks. In 2005 PM Manmohan Singh expressed regret and apologised in Parliament.

Road to peace:

• After the 1984 election, PM Rajiv Gandhi began talks with moderate Akalis. In July 1985 he signed the Rajiv Gandhi-Longowal Accord (Punjab Accord) with Harchand Singh Longowal, Akali Dal President.
• Provisions: Chandigarh to be transferred to Punjab; a commission for the Punjab-Haryana border dispute; a tribunal on sharing Ravi-Beas water among Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan; compensation and better treatment for those affected by militancy; withdrawal of AFSPA in Punjab.
• Violence continued nearly a decade: excesses by police and human rights violations; fragmentation of the Akali Dal; President's rule; only 24 per cent turnout in the 1992 elections.
• Militancy was eradicated by security forces; peace returned by the mid-1990s. In 1997 the Akali Dal (Badal)-BJP alliance won the first normal post-militancy election. Politics has gradually moved back along secular lines, with focus on development.

Worked example

What were the main provisions of the Punjab Accord of 1985? (4 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Signed in July 1985 by PM Rajiv Gandhi and Akali Dal President Harchand Singh Longowal.
2. Chandigarh would be transferred to Punjab, and a separate commission would resolve the Punjab-Haryana border dispute.
3. A tribunal would decide the sharing of Ravi-Beas water among Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
4. Those affected by militancy would get compensation and better treatment, and AFSPA would be withdrawn from Punjab.

Answer: Chandigarh to Punjab, a border commission, a water tribunal, compensation for victims and AFSPA withdrawal.

The North-East: autonomy and secession

NCERT section The North-East; Demands for Autonomy; Secessionist Movements

The region: eight states: the 'seven sisters' (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya) and Sikkim (the 'brother'). It has 4 per cent of the population but about twice that share of area; a corridor of about 22 km links it to the rest of India; it borders China, Myanmar and Bangladesh and is India's gateway to South East Asia.

• Tripura, Manipur and the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya were princely states. Nagaland (1963); Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya (1972); Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh (1987).
• Partition made it landlocked, hurting its economy; it suffered neglect; migration caused demographic change.
• Three issues: demands for autonomy, movements for secession, opposition to 'outsiders'.

Demands for autonomy: at independence the whole region except Manipur and Tripura was Assam. Non-Assamese groups felt Assamese language was imposed; tribal leaders formed the Eastern India Tribal Union, later the All Party Hill Leaders Conference (1960), demanding a tribal state. Instead several states were carved out (Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal) and Tripura and Manipur upgraded; reorganisation was completed by 1972. Later the Bodos, Karbis and Dimasas sought states; since areas overlapped, District Councils (Karbis, Dimasas) and an Autonomous Council (Bodos) were used.

Mizoram (secession to settlement):

• The Mizo Hills were an autonomous district in Assam; some Mizos believed they were never part of British India.
• Assam's inadequate response to the 1959 famine fuelled anger; the Mizo National Front (MNF) under Laldenga formed.
• 1966: MNF began an armed campaign for independence, supported by Pakistan and sheltered in East Pakistan; Indian forces responded with repressive measures (even the Air Force once), increasing alienation.
• After two decades, everyone was a loser. Laldenga returned from exile; Rajiv Gandhi steered talks; the 1986 peace accord gave Mizoram full statehood with special powers; the MNF gave up secession; Laldenga became CM. Mizoram is now among the most peaceful places, with strides in literacy and development.

Nagaland: similar but earlier and unresolved. Led by Angami Zapu Phizo, a section of Nagas declared independence in 1951; the Naga National Council waged armed struggle. A section later signed an agreement with India, but other rebels rejected it; the problem awaits final resolution.

Worked example

How did the Mizo problem get resolved? What lesson does it offer? (4 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. The MNF under Laldenga, angered by the Assam government's poor response to the 1959 famine, began an armed campaign for independence in 1966, backed by Pakistan.
2. Two decades of insurgency and repression left everyone a loser and alienated the people.
3. Laldenga returned from exile and negotiated; Rajiv Gandhi signed a peace accord with him in 1986, granting full statehood with special powers while the MNF gave up secession.
4. Laldenga became CM; Mizoram became peaceful and developed, showing that political settlement resolves separatism better than suppression.

Answer: Through the 1986 Rajiv Gandhi-Laldenga accord; lesson: negotiation and accommodation work better than force.

Movements against outsiders and Sikkim's merger

NCERT section Movements against Outsiders; Sikkim's Merger

Against 'outsiders': large-scale migration pitted local communities against migrants (from India or abroad), seen as encroachers on land, jobs and political power.

Assam Movement (1979-1985):

• The Assamese suspected large numbers of illegal Bengali Muslim settlers from Bangladesh who might reduce them to a minority.
• Economic issues: poverty and unemployment despite oil, tea and coal, which were felt to be drained out without benefit to locals.
• 1979: the All Assam Students' Union (AASU), a non-party student group, led an anti-foreigner movement against illegal migration, domination of Bengalis and other outsiders, and faulty voters' registers; demanded that outsiders who entered after 1951 be sent back. It mobilised all sections, used novel methods (including blockading trains and oil supply to Bihar refineries), and involved violence and loss of life.
• 1985 Assam Accord with the Rajiv Gandhi government: foreigners who came during and after the Bangladesh war were to be identified and deported.
• AASU and the Asom Gana Sangram Parishad formed the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which won power in 1985 promising to solve the foreigner issue and build a 'Golden Assam'.
• The accord brought peace but did not solve immigration; similar tensions exist in Tripura (original inhabitants now a minority) and hostility to Chakma refugees in Mizoram and Arunachal.

Sikkim's merger (box):

• At independence Sikkim was a protectorate: India handled defence and foreign relations; the Chogyal (monarch) handled internal administration.
• The Chogyal could not meet democratic aspirations; most people were Nepali, but he was seen as favouring a small Lepcha-Bhutia elite. Anti-Chogyal leaders sought India's support.
• 1974: the Sikkim Congress, favouring integration, swept the first democratic elections. The assembly sought 'associate state' status, then in April 1975 asked for full integration; a hurried referendum approved; Parliament accepted, and Sikkim became the 22nd state. The Chogyal's supporters alleged foul play, but the merger had popular support and did not become divisive. (Leader: Kazi Lhendup Dorji Khangsarpa.)

Worked example

'The Assam movement was a combination of cultural pride and economic backwardness.' Explain. (4 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Cultural pride: the Assamese feared that large numbers of illegal migrants from Bangladesh would reduce them to a minority in their own land.
2. They opposed domination of Bengalis and other outsiders and faulty voters' lists including lakhs of immigrants.
3. Economic backwardness: there was widespread poverty and unemployment despite oil, tea and coal, which were felt to be drained out without benefit to the people.
4. AASU's movement (1979-85) combined both, leading to the 1985 Assam Accord and the rise of the AGP.

Answer: It combined fear of cultural and demographic loss with anger at economic neglect despite rich resources.

Lessons: accommodation and national integration

NCERT section Accommodation and National Integration; Goa's Liberation

Even after 75 years, some issues of national integration remain; aspirations range from statehood and development to autonomy and separation.

Five lessons:
1. Regional aspirations are part of democratic politics, not an aberration. Even the UK (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland), Spain (Basques) and Sri Lanka (Tamils) face them. Nation-building is ongoing.
2. Democratic negotiation, not suppression, is the best response. In the 1980s (Punjab, North-East, Assam, Kashmir) India reached negotiated settlements instead of treating them as mere law and order problems; Mizoram shows settlement can resolve separatism.
3. Power sharing: formal democracy is not enough; regional parties and groups need a share of power at the state level, and regions need a share in national decisions, or alienation spreads.
4. Regional imbalance in development breeds a feeling of discrimination; backward regions want priority, and imbalance causes inter-regional migration.
5. Farsighted Constitution: India's federal system is flexible: most states have equal powers, but there are special provisions for some (J&K earlier, the North-East). Article 370 was abrogated in August 2019. The Sixth Schedule gives tribes autonomy to preserve their practices and customary laws, crucial in the North-East.

India's flexible, accommodative framework means regional aspirations are not pushed towards separatism; regionalism is accepted as part of democratic politics.

Goa's liberation (box): Portugal refused to leave Goa, Diu and Daman, ruled since the sixteenth century (suppressing civil rights and carrying out forced conversions). After patient persuasion, a strong popular movement and support from socialist satyagrahis from Maharashtra, India sent the army in December 1961; the territories were liberated in about two days and became a Union Territory. The MGP wanted merger with Maharashtra; the UGP wanted a separate Goan identity (Konkani). A special 'opinion poll' in January 1967 chose to stay separate; Goa became a state in 1987.

Worked example

What lessons can be drawn from regional movements in India? (4 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Regional aspirations are a normal part of democratic politics, found even in the UK, Spain and Sri Lanka; nation-building is ongoing.
2. Democratic negotiation works better than suppression, as the Mizoram accord shows.
3. Power sharing at state and national levels prevents alienation.
4. Regional economic imbalance must be addressed; and India's flexible federal Constitution (special provisions, Sixth Schedule) helps accommodate diversity.

Answer: Accept regionalism as democratic, negotiate, share power, reduce imbalance and use constitutional flexibility.

Regional Aspirations in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Topics in this chapter

• Jammu and Kashmir
• Movements Against Outsiders: The Assam Movement and the Assam Accord
• The North-East: Demands for Autonomy and the Mizoram and Nagaland Cases
• Punjab in the 1980s: Anandpur Sahib Resolution, Violence and the Punjab Accord
• Sikkim's Merger, Goa's Liberation and Lessons of Accommodation

Regional Aspirations: key facts

Indian approach

Unity with diversity; democratic expression of regional aspirations is not anti-national

Unlike European fear of diversity.

J&K regions

Jammu (mainly Hindu), Kashmir valley (mainly Muslim), Ladakh (Buddhist and Muslim, sparse)

Kashmiriyat.

J&K timeline

1947	(Oct) tribal invasion and accession
1948	(Mar) Sheikh Abdullah PM
1948	(21 Apr) UN resolution
1953	Sheikh Abdullah dismissed
1965	CM title
1974	accord
1982	Farooq
1987	disputed election
1989	insurgency
1996-2014	elections (1996, 2002, 2008/09, 2014)
2019	(5 Aug) Article 370 abolished, two UTs

POJK under Pakistan's illegal occupation.

Internal Kashmir grievances

Plebiscite promise unfulfilled; autonomy eroded ('Greater State Autonomy'); democracy not institutionalised

Opposite view: revoke Article 370.

Punjab timeline

1920	Akali Dal
1966	Punjabi suba
1973	Anandpur Sahib
1980	dismissal
1984	(June) Blue Star
1984	(31 Oct) assassination
1985	(July) Punjab Accord
1992	polls, 24% turnout
1997	normal election

Rajiv Gandhi-Longowal.

Punjab Accord

Chandigarh to Punjab; border commission; Ravi-Beas water tribunal; compensation; AFSPA withdrawn

Peace by mid-1990s.

North-East facts

8 states; 4% population, ~twice the area share; 22 km corridor; borders China, Myanmar, Bangladesh

Three issues: autonomy, secession, outsiders.

North-East states

Nagaland 1963; Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya 1972; Mizoram, Arunachal 1987; Sikkim 22nd state 1975

All Party Hill Leaders Conference 1960.

Mizoram and Nagaland

MNF (Laldenga) 1966 armed campaign; 1986 accord; Phizo's NNC declared independence 1951, unresolved

Lesson of negotiation.

Assam

AASU movement 1979-85; demand: outsiders after 1951 sent back; 1985 Accord (post-Bangladesh war migrants); AGP

Cultural pride + economic backwardness.

Five lessons

Regionalism is normal; negotiate; share power; reduce imbalance; flexible federalism (Sixth Schedule)

Article 370 abrogated Aug 2019.

Goa

Liberated Dec 1961; opinion poll Jan 1967 (stay separate); state 1987

MGP vs UGP.

How the board asks Regional Aspirations

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Tricks to remember Regional Aspirations

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

• North-East issues

  "ASO": Autonomy, Secession, Outsiders.

  Use it when: Three issues.

• 1980s accords

  "Punjab 85, Assam 85, Mizo 86".

  Use it when: Accord years.

• Punjab Accord

  "C-B-W-C-A": Chandigarh, Border commission, Water tribunal, Compensation, AFSPA withdrawn.

  Use it when: Provisions.

• Five lessons

  "Normal, Negotiate, Share, Balance, Flexible".

  Use it when: 6-mark lessons.

Regional Aspirations: board-level solved questions

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Case-study practice (Section E style)

Read the situation, then answer every part. In the board paper this is a 4-mark question split into 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 marks.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is split into step marks. Show every step: a right final answer alone rarely earns full marks.

Where students lose marks in Regional Aspirations

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

• ✗Mistake: Calling all regional movements separatist

  Focus on violent cases.

  ✓Do this: Most sought statehood, autonomy or development within India.

  Usually costs: 1-2 marks.

• ✗Mistake: Wrong cut-off year in the Assam Accord

  AASU's demand differs from the accord.

  ✓Do this: AASU demanded post-1951 migrants be sent back; the accord covered those who came during and after the Bangladesh war.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Including Sikkim in the 'seven sisters'

  Eight states now.

  ✓Do this: Sikkim is the 'brother'.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Missing the 2019 change

  Older guides.

  ✓Do this: On 5 August 2019 Article 370 was abolished and J&K became two UTs.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Mixing up Mizoram and Nagaland outcomes

  Similar movements.

  ✓Do this: Mizoram: 1986 accord, peace; Nagaland: still awaits final resolution.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

NCERT exercise guide: Regional Aspirations

What each exercise in the NCERT chapter tests, how to approach it, and a question of the same kind solved step by step. Questions here are written in our own words.

Practice questions on Regional Aspirations

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

   The 'seven sisters' does NOT include:
   (a) Tripura
   (b) Sikkim
   (c) Mizoram
   (d) Meghalaya

   Hint

   The 'brother'.

   Answer

   (b) Sikkim, referred to as the 'brother'.

2. Q2 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

   The Anandpur Sahib Resolution was passed in:
   (a) 1966
   (b) 1973
   (c) 1980
   (d) 1985

   Hint

   Akali conference.

   Answer

   (b) 1973.

3. Q3 · 1 mark · MCQHarder board level

   Arrange in order: (i) Mizo accord (ii) Assam Accord (iii) Operation Blue Star (iv) Abolition of Article 370
   (a) iii, ii, i, iv
   (b) ii, iii, i, iv
   (c) iii, i, ii, iv
   (d) i, ii, iii, iv

   Hint

   1984, 1985, 1986, 2019.

   Answer

   (a).

4. Q4 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

   Assertion (A): Karbis and Dimasas in Assam were given District Councils instead of separate states.
   Reason (R): It was not possible to keep creating smaller states, as the same area was often claimed by more than one community.
   Choose (a)-(d).

   Hint

   Overlapping claims.

   Answer

   (a) Both are true and R explains A.

5. Q5 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

   How did Goa become a state of India? (2 marks)

   Hint

   1961, 1967, 1987.

   Answer

   Portugal refused to leave; after a popular movement backed by socialist satyagrahis, India sent the army in December 1961 and liberated Goa, Diu and Daman, which became a Union Territory. In a January 1967 opinion poll, Goans chose not to merge with Maharashtra; Goa became a state in 1987.

6. Q6 · 4 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

   Suppose people of a hill district feel the state government imposes the plains' language on them and ignores their development. Using the North-East experience, suggest how their demands could be accommodated. (4 marks)

   Hint

   States, councils, Sixth Schedule.

   Answer

   As in Assam, where non-Assamese groups resisted the imposition of Assamese, the government could create a separate state if the area is distinct (Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal); where claims overlap, autonomous district or regional councils can be used (Karbis, Dimasas, Bodos). Sixth Schedule provisions can protect customs and laws. Negotiation rather than suppression, power sharing and attention to regional imbalance in development would reduce alienation.

7. Q7 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

   What are the various positions on regional autonomy for Kashmir described in the textbook? (4 marks)

   Hint

   Two opposite reactions.

   Answer

   One section outside J&K believed Article 370 prevented full integration and should be revoked so J&K is treated like other states. Another section, mostly Kashmiris, felt the autonomy was not enough, citing the unfulfilled promise to refer accession to the people (plebiscite demand), erosion of special status in practice (demand for Greater State Autonomy), and inadequate institutionalisation of democracy. The textbook notes Article 370 was abolished on 5 August 2019 and the state reorganised into two Union Territories.

8. Q8 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level

   What were the consequences of the anti-Sikh violence of 1984 as described in the textbook? (2 marks)

   Hint

   Loss and justice.

   Answer

   More than two thousand Sikhs were killed in Delhi and hundreds elsewhere; many families lost male members and suffered emotional and financial loss. Delay in restoring normalcy and failure to punish perpetrators hurt Sikhs most; in 2005 PM Manmohan Singh apologised in Parliament.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1. 1.Who led the Dravidar Kazhagam?Show answer

   E. V. Ramasami 'Periyar'.

2. 2.When did Sheikh Abdullah become Prime Minister of J&K?Show answer

   March 1948.

3. 3.Who became the first woman Chief Minister of J&K?Show answer

   Mehbooba Mufti, in April 2016.

4. 4.When was the Akali Dal formed?Show answer

   In 1920, as the political wing of the Sikhs.

5. 5.What was the voter turnout in Punjab's 1992 elections?Show answer

   Only 24 per cent.

6. 6.What share of India's population lives in the North-East?Show answer

   About 4 per cent.

7. 7.Who led the Naga National Council's struggle?Show answer

   Angami Zapu Phizo.

8. 8.When did Sikkim become India's 22nd state?Show answer

   In 1975.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

• ☐Can you explain India's democratic approach to regional diversity?
• ☐Can you describe the Dravidian movement's methods and outcome?
• ☐Can you describe J&K's three regions and Kashmiriyat?
• ☐Can you explain the external and internal disputes over Kashmir?
• ☐Can you trace J&K politics from 1948 to 2019?
• ☐Can you explain the Anandpur Sahib Resolution and Punjab Accord?
• ☐Can you state the three issues in the North-East?
• ☐Can you compare the Mizo and Naga movements?
• ☐Can you explain the Assam movement and accord?
• ☐Can you list the five lessons of accommodation?

Regional Aspirations: frequently asked questions