Essay On National Unity

An Essay on The Problem of Nationalities in India
The British always denied that India was a nation, because they did not like people to develop a sense of national unity. What semblance of unity of the people had, they said, was due to the influence of the British. They went so far as against this, the finest minds of India nationality was a production of the British language. As against this, the finest minds of India vigorously maintained that India had always been a nation that underlying the manifold diversities of race of language, there had always been a sense of fundamental unity. As this contradiction of opinions gives rise to many perplexing political problems, it is necessary to get a correct idea of what constitutes a nation.

On the subject of nationality, it is commonly held that nation hood depends on a vague feeling or sentiment, that it has no objective reality. A

Rajendra Prasad pointed out that the concept of a multi-lingual state offers no inherent contradiction. The voluntary association of nation in a co-operative federation is rendered easier if the influence of the vested interest can be overcome. For example, one of the main difficulties in the way of re-shaping the boundaries of beagle and Bihar has been the opposition from the vested interests, particularly mining and metallurgical interests. The emotional integrity in a multi-national state will always be opposed by a group of interests who fear that the new set-up may jeopardise their interest in the future. A striking instance of the solution of the multi-national problem is provided by soviet constitution based on Stalin’s thesis on the national question. In that constitution, every state has been guaranteed the fullest autonomy, even with the right to secede from the union of soviet republics. Such was the confidence felt by the author of the constitution in the states is a sure guarantee of unity than artificial unity imposed from