Passage Based Questions: Regional Aspirations | Political Science Class 12 - Humanities/Arts PDF Download

Passage - 1

Direction: Read the passage and answer the questions that follow:
Article 370 gives greater autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir as compared to other states of India. The state has its own constitution. All provisions of the Indian Constitution are not applicable to the state. Laws passed by the Parliament apply to J&K only if the state agrees. This special status has provoked two opposite reactions. There is a section of people outside J&K that believe that the special status of the state conferred by Article 370 does not allow full integration of the state with India. This section feels that Article 370 should therefore be revoked and J&K should be like any other state in India.

(i) The people of Kashmir have strongly resisted the repeal of Article 370 from the Indian Constitution. Analyze any three reasons for this resistance.
Ans: The Kashmiris believe that the autonomy conferred by Article 370 is not sufficient. A section of Kashmiris have expressed at least three major grievances:

• The promise that the Accession would be referred to the people of the state after the situation created by the tribal invasion was normalized has not been fulfilled. This has generated the demand for a ‘Plebiscite’.
• There is a feeling that the special federal status guaranteed by Article 370 has been eroded in practice. This has led to the demand for the restoration of autonomy or ‘Greater State Autonomy’.
• It is felt that democracy, which is practiced in the rest of India, has not been similarly institutionalized in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. There have been serious allegations of rigging during elections.

(ii) Suggest any two measures that could improve the situation in Kashmir.
Ans: (a) The government should generate more employment in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, as economic stability often leads to political and social stability. (b) The influence and actions of Pakistan should be completely curtailed to ensure peace in the region.

Passage - 2

Direction: Look at the image given below and answer the following questions:

(i) Name any two prominent politicians depicted in the cartoon.
Ans: Indira Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, Sheikh Abdullah. (Any two)

(ii) What is the main subject of the cartoon?
Ans: The cartoon depicts the agreement between Sheikh Abdullah and Indira Gandhi, which led to his becoming the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

(iii) In which year does the cartoon depict the event?
Ans: 1974

Passage - 3

Direction: Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
By 1989, the State had come under the influence of a militant movement mobilized around the cause of a separate Kashmiri nation. The insurgents received moral, material, and military support from Pakistan. For a number of years, the State was under President’s rule and effectively under the control of the armed forces. From 1990 onwards, Jammu and Kashmir experienced violence from both insurgents and army actions. Assembly elections in the State were held only in 1996, where the National Conference led by Farooq Abdullah came to power with a demand for regional autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir. In 2002, J&K experienced a very fair election. The National Conference failed to win a majority and was replaced by a coalition government of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Congress.

(i) From where did the insurgents receive the necessary support?
Ans: The insurgents received moral, material, and military support from Pakistan.

(ii) Describe the conditions in Kashmir during the 1990s.
Ans: Throughout the period from 1990, Jammu and Kashmir experienced violence at the hands of insurgents and through army action.

(iii) What were the results of the elections held in 2002?
Ans: J&K experienced a very fair election in 2002. The National Conference failed to win a majority and was replaced by a coalition government of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Congress.

Passage - 4

Direction: Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions that follow:

One of Hazarika’s songs dwells on the unity theme; the seven states of North-Eastern India become seven sisters born of the same mother. ‘Meghalaya went its own way, Arunachal too separated, and Mizoram appeared in Assam’s gateway as a groom to marry another daughter.’ The song ends with a determination to keep the unity of the Assamese with other smaller nationalities that are left in the present-day Assam – ‘the Karbis and the Mising brothers and sisters are our dear ones.’ —Sanjib Baruah

(i) What type of unity is the poet referring to in the song?
Ans: The poet is talking about Assamese unity.

(ii) Why were some of the North-Eastern States separated from the former State of Assam?
Ans: Because these states felt that the Assamese government was imposing the Assamese language on them. Hence, regional aspirations began.

(iii) Do you think the same theme of unity could apply to all regions of India? Why or why not?
Ans: Yes, the same theme of unity could apply to all regions of India because the Indian government addresses regional aspirations with respect to accommodate regional diversities.

Passage - 5

Direction: Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
The Assam Movement from 1979 to 1985 is the best example of such movements against ‘outsiders’. The Assamese suspected that there were huge numbers of illegal Bengali Muslim settlers from Bangladesh. They felt that unless these foreign nationals were detected and deported, they would reduce the indigenous Assamese to a minority. There were other economic issues too. There was widespread poverty and unemployment in Assam despite the existence of natural resources like oil, tea, and coal. It was felt that these resources were drained out of the State without any commensurate benefit to the people.

(i) Which group led the movement against the ‘outsiders’?
Ans: All Assam Students' Union (AASU)

(ii) Why did the Assamese seek to detect and deport outsiders?
Ans: Because they feared that these outsiders would reduce the indigenous Assamese to a minority.

(iii) What were the economic issues addressed during this movement?
Ans: There was widespread poverty and unemployment in Assam despite the existence of natural resources like oil, tea, and coal. It was felt that these resources were drained out of the State without any commensurate benefit to the people.

Passage - 6

Direction: Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
The first democratic elections to the Sikkim assembly in 1974 were swept by the Sikkim Congress, which stood for greater integration with India. The assembly first sought the status of ‘associate state’ and then in April 1975 passed a resolution asking for full integration with India. This was followed by a hurriedly organized referendum that put a stamp of popular approval on the assembly’s request. The Indian Parliament accepted this request immediately, and Sikkim became the 22nd State of the Indian Union. Chogyal did not accept this merger, and his supporters accused the Government of India of foul play and use of force. Yet the merger enjoyed popular support and did not become a divisive issue in Sikkim’s politics.

(i) When were the first democratic elections held in Sikkim, and who won these elections?
Ans: The first democratic elections to the Sikkim assembly were held in 1974 and were won by the Sikkim Congress.

(ii) How did Sikkim become a part of India?
Ans: The assembly first sought the status of ‘associate state’ and then in April 1975 passed a resolution asking for full integration with India. This was followed by a hurriedly organized referendum that put a stamp of popular approval on the assembly’s request. The Indian Parliament accepted this request immediately, and Sikkim became the 22nd State of the Indian Union.

(iii) Who opposed the merger of Sikkim with India?
Ans: Chogyal did not accept this merger, and his supporters accused the Government of India of foul play and use of force.