Current Issues and Trends in Centre-State Relations: A Global View

India has a federal government, constitutionally speaking, while in reality, Indian political system has been unitary through out. The extensive provisions of checks and balances of Centre over the States, however, brings in its wake problems and conflicts in the working of Centre-State relations. The history of Centre-State relations is replete with plethora of persistent problems. The State of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir West Bengal, Nagaland, Mizoram, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana are in the forefront in demanding larger share of regional autonomy. Similarly the Bodos,Khasis,Gorkhas, Karvis, Kukis, Jharkhandis, Uttarakhandis in U.P. Hills, Chakmas in Nagaland, ULFA in Assam and Baster tribal of Madhya Pradesh are all agitating for a greater share of power in governing their own territories. The sad fact is that the autonomy of the States has been progressively undermined by various devious means. In fact, the concept of a strong States is not necessarily in conflict with that of strong centre. There is, however, need for a redistribution of political and economic power to the State and decentralization is the most likely prognosis for the future. The present work is designed to be an earnest starting point of discussion of long-term interest in the federal system of governance not only in respect of India but with special reference to Yugoslavia also. A number of important issues have been dealt with by eminent scholars from India and abroad in their research papers submitted at the ICSSR (North-West region) Seminar on the subject of Centre-State relations organised at Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak (Haryana) in 1989. Eminent contributors included Paul Wallace, Robin Alison Remington, Harish K. Puri, Satya Deva, Vidhya Bhushan, Raju Goyal, S.B. Dixit and B.K. Kaushik which made it an authoritative work on the subject. A thought-provoking foreword by Justice Sarkaria enhances the utility of the book to the great extent.

Dr. Subhash Chander Arora (b.1940) passed M.A. from the Panjab University, Cjandigarh in 1970. He was awarded Ph.D. from Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak in 1982. Formerly a teacher of Political Science at Panjab Univesity, Chandigarh; Punjabi University, Patiala and Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Dr. Arora is currently heading the Department of Political Science, Mahararshi Dayanand University College, Rohtak (Haryana).He has contributed a score of research papers to the journals of repute. President's Rule in Indian States and Turmoil in Punjab Politics (both published by Mittal Publications, New Delhi) are the two outstanding works to his credit.