While analysing the politics of three small States — Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand — with Indian federalism looming large in the backdrop. Neera Chandhoke (April 28) seems to be moving slowly from realism to idealism. Unfortunately, the politics of idealism which, as a beacon, threw light into every dark corner of Indian society, almost got extinguished at the dawn of Independence. The idealist Indian politician of yore is now extinct. When she writes about “the fight against injustice”, “struggle against exploitation”, “demand for control over resources by tribal communities”, the reader is forced to revisit the theory of ‘internal colonialism’. In being critical about “State leaders who have shown great willingness to play into the hands of the Central government,” we are, in a way, disregarding the significance that national political parties have in the Indian federal system. Finally, representative democracy has been compromised enormously not only in India, but across the world also.
K.C. Sreekumar,Thiruvananthapuram
