“Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler” – Albert Einstein

The alternative title could be the Balkanization of India. Nehru feared it then and Gandhi fears it now. The need for smaller states under the premise of better development. For various reason India has escaped this for more than 40 years. It has re-surfaced. This time a bit more severe and bit more intense. The last split India has seen is with the formation of Uttaranchal, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh. Now we are looking at many more.

It all started with the hunger strike of Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader K Chandrasekhara Rao. The central government has decided to carve out a piece of Andhra Pradhesh and form Telangana. Case closed. Or so you think. What it has done is, it fueled the much needed fire for the want of other smaller  states which were in the offing for a while.

How many states in total?

  1. Vidharbha – Carving out from Maharastra
  2. Rayalaseema – Carving out from whatever is left of Andhra Pradesh without Telangana.
  3. Gorkhaland – Carving out from West Bengal
  4. Bundelkhand – Now part of Uttar Pradesh
  5. Harit Pradesh – Now part of Uttar pradesh
  6. Uttar Pradesh – whatever is left
  7. Anything else which I have missed.
  8. We already have the Kashmir issue which wants to be a separate country.

We are looking at  a total of seven new states including Telangana. The main argument for this – small is beautiful. Smaller states will be governed better. Is there a proof for that? Where do we end if we keep splitting the country up?