Quit India Movement v2

Was the romance in India’s tryst with destiny, pledges to which were redeemed on the eve of its independence, only skin-deep. The division of India on religious lines that preceded its independence and the communal savagery that followed it may have been thrown into the dustbin of forgettable history, but have we checked all boxes to make a successful country. In the chequered history of seventy-eight years, have we ensured singularity of national conduct of individuals, groups, institutions, religions and states. Have we ensured that all are uniformly aligned to the larger idea of India.

India was physically united in 1948. Does the physicality of unification give us the confidence of calling ourselves a united country? Is India still an unfinished agenda? For the country to earn lasting peace, is there more to let go of?

Taking stock of all round happiness (or unhappiness) among the citizenry belonging to different religions, ethnicities, geographies and socio-economic backgrounds, one can say, without demur, that the winds of progress have left very many untouched. But can any democracy in the world claim to have fully addressed all issues facing all its constituents. A democracy strives to ensure that its people share its fortunes (misfortunes too) equitably. Therefore, the pertinent question to ask is if all citizens are sharing performance (or non-performance) of our democracy or some are being discriminated against. If the latter is the answer, one has reasons to worry. Having said that, it is non-negotiable that the constitution and the decisions of the institutions empowered by it are respected. Should one have issues, one is free to seek corrections. But using only legitimate means. To jeopardize the existence of a country or the future of its citizenry cannot be tolerated.  

Some Indians have yet to reconcile to the present-day India and the changes it is undergoing. Especially, in the context of religion and social practices. They give out an unequivocal message that the laws of the land will have to take a backseat when it comes to the faith. For them the progress of the country carries no meaning unless it is anchored in or sanctioned by religion. On the global issues that impact India too, they often take positions which are contradictory to that of the country. The empathy of such people with the adversary-countries and the organizations promoting religious-extremism is too ominous to be ignored. Some have a grouse that as regards education, employment and income-levels, they do not match up to the Indians of other religiosities. But they fight shy of asking themselves the question if the country has denied them opportunities or do the reasons reside within. The shenanigans of non-believers in India and constitution-baiters are assuming anarchic proportions now. India needs to intervene seriously and in a manner which it has been avoiding.

Let’s contextualize.

Continuing with the pre-independence demand for Punjabi Suba, some Sikhs want an independent nation. The prompt for the demand finds its origin in the historical, religion-based division of the country. Journeying between the maximalist position of an independent Sikh nation and the minimalist of an autonomous state, the movement saw a long period of insurgency in Punjab. The situation was compounded by some misadventures of the governments in the past. But for a very small number of supporters within India and some in the Sikh diaspora in Canada, USA and Australia, the Sikhs don’t endorse the demand. Despite being a minority, the Sikhs have earned themselves respect, deservedly so, through their contribution to business, agriculture, armed forces, education, sports, politics, bureaucracy and philanthropy. There is no gainsaying the fact that India cannot be imagined without the Sikhs. Despite being an integral part of the mainstream India, the profundity of the demand for a separate nation is yet to be understood.

J&K is the most formidable challenge facing the country. A long history of terrorism, killing of civilians & armed-forces personnel, disturbance of civic life and Machiavellian state politics; that’s how the state was till recently. Whilst there was a disenchantment among many Kashmiris with “India”, the game of snake & ladder played by all who had some skin in the game had put paid to almost all possibilities in the state. Lurking in the background there always was (and is) Pakistan, a failed country, with a nefarious agenda to bleed India with thousand cuts. But a lot changed in the recent years, especially in the area of public life. Efforts towards socio-economic mainstreaming of the state were well received by the population. The state appeared to be taking steps towards peace and stability. Then the massacre of tourists happened on 22^nd April,2025 in Pahalgam. Have no doubts, it was targeted killing of Hindu men to show the country the chinks in its armor. The women and the children were spared not for any humanitarian reason but to tell the story of horror & pain to the rest of the country. The return of normalcy in J&K, a thorn in the Pakistani flesh, too was targeted. Though most Kashmiris condemned the killings, one would be very naïve to assume that the Pahalgam massacre (as also earlier acts of terrorism) had no local support. This goes on to prove that there are many who still harbor the ambitions of an independent nation or accession to Pakistan.

With the exception of the violence in 2023 in Manipur, the North-East has done pretty well in terms of addressing the long outstanding issues and joining the mainstream. There were a host of reasons for disturbances in the region e.g., inter-tribe conflicts, illegal migrations, sense of alienation, neglect by the governments, preservation of ethnic-cultural identities, interference by the neighboring countries etc. which led to demands for greater autonomy or secession. Today, owing to sincere efforts by all stakeholders, the peace finds evidence in extensive participation of people in the elections. But some insurgent groups continue to hold the ideologies that conflict with the country’s and still carry a belief that they will be better off independent of India.

Seeking to build on the sentiments of believers in Periyar’s Dravid Nadu, the politicians of certain hue in Tamil Nadu have insinuated revival of an old demand for a separate country. An industrialized state, 2^nd largest state-economy, 9^th highest state GDP per capita, a literacy rate higher than the national average, good infrastructure, rich cultural & religious heritage, well-endowed by nature and excellent connectivity with the rest of the country; that’s how we see the state. Governed by regional political parties for the last fifty-seven years, some unscrupulous politicians now find good reasons in the low fertility rate (remember the delimitation bogey!) and Hindi as the third language to make a case for separation of the state from the country.

West Bengal carries a serious, camouflaged possibility of secession. Once a fountainhead of culture, music, literature, social-reforms, independence movement and (believe you me) business, the state is showing worrying signs of divide. The demographics of the state show a steep decline of 21% in Hindu population since independence. Administrative inaction against political & religious violence (prompted by electoral considerations) and a growing sense of discrimination among the majority community doesn’t bode well for the state. Ominous whispers suggesting a carve out of the territories of West Bengal, Odisha and Bihar to merge into Bangladesh to form United Bangladesh can be heard in the streets.

To sum up, certain sections of the society and the polity, particularly in the states of J&K, Punjab, West Bengal, North-East, Tamil Nadu carry a threat (howsoever feeble) of further division of India. On the other hand, the religious-extremists continue to foment trouble in the country. India cannot forever live with turmoil, uncertainty and pain. We need to make serious preparations for letting go of individuals, groups and states which do not find a common future with India. 

Que Sera Sera.

India is for Indians and foreigners who are here legally. We need to mercilessly drive out those who are in the country illegally. Conduct a massive, country-wide drive to purge the country of illegal migrants. Unadulterated focus needs to be on the states which show serious changes in their demographic profiles e.g., the North-East (particularly Assam) and West Bengal. As the illegal migrants have spread out to the other parts of the country also, Jammu, Western UP, Delhi-NCR, Mewat (Haryana), Hyderabad, Nagpur, Mumbai and parts of Kerala need to be sieved comprehensively. If the countries of their origin do not take back the illegal migrants, leave them, without qualms, on the no-man’s-land as nearly all of them are from the countries we share our land borders with. Act sternly against all individuals, groups, institutions and political dispensations which come in the way of the drive. We need to stop these illegal migrants from tearing into the social fabric of our country and create religious disturbances.

Conduct plebiscites in Kashmir (not in Jammu and also not in Ladakh as the two have already spoken through the prevailing peace), Tamil Nadu and other states which are similarly inclined, to ascertain if the people there wish to separate from India. A negative outcome shall be a tight slap on the face of the politicians and the religious-extremists who think they can get away propagating anything, disregarding the majority. If otherwise, let’s make arrangements for their secession from India in a mercenary manner.  Such states need to repatriate all capital investments in various sectors by the country. The capital invested by private enterprises in the exiting states also needs to be repatriated, if private enterprises too would want to disconnect. Compensation should also be sought from the exiting states towards those Indians who want to stay with India and are to be relocated to the other parts of the country. 

Carry out a one-time, country-wide exercise and invite the Indians who do not identify with India, do not believe in a common national conduct, have little faith in the constitution, make a mockery of the institutions empowered by the constitution and habitually defy the laws of the land. Enroll them for their exit from India. Fund their travel to a la-la land of their choice. Compensate them for the assets they would leave behind. For sure, cut their umbilical cords by terminating their national IDs and formally declare them persona-non-grata so that they can never set their feet in India. Those who choose to stay back must be unequivocally told to hold their peace forever on the issues of national unity and singular national conduct or find themselves on the wrong side of the law meriting retribution of the highest degree.    

To achieve all above, we will need to create a Quit India Fund. To meet the expenses to search, identify and throw out illegal migrants. To fund the travel of exiting Indians to their respective la-la lands. To meet the expenses towards relocation and rehabilitation of the Indians in the exiting states who choose to stay in India. To establish elsewhere in India the institutions of eminence left behind in the exiting states. On the credit side, we shall have funds from repatriation of capital invested by the country in the exiting states. The monetizable assets left behind by the exiting individuals too shall add to the coffers, after factoring in compensations to them. Should we fall short, the government must chip in by way of a one-time subsidy or, alternatively, levy a one-time surcharge on GST and Income Tax. In a nutshell, funds should not be an issue given the benefits of a united, progressive India.

Conceptualizing and implementing exit of individuals and states from India shall not pose any operational, logistical or financial challenge. India has proven credentials in managing volumes spread over expansive & complex geographies, leveraging the latest tech. The airlines in the country ferry around 15 crore passengers every year. The railways in India transport over 1,000 crore passengers every year. The Election Commission of India conducts general elections involving 54 crore voters spread across 36 states & UTs. The tech-professionals in India have brought 100 crore citizens on board the biometric ID system called Aadhar. The country manages the data of over 109 crore mobile connections every month. Nearly 8,300 crore financial transactions by over 3 crore users are digitally managed every year on the UPI platforms. In a nutshell, India has the skill-sets and the capacity to ensure seamless exit of individuals and states.

India has ambitions. India has capabilities. India seeks its rightful place in the world. Therefore, India cannot afford unproductive engagement of its resources and bandwidth by individuals, groups and states which have an agenda that contrasts the country’s. Without getting too sentimental about it, let’s purge India of the constant irritants and let go of those who are not aligned to the future that the country wants for itself. Future generations shall thank us.

It is time to cry some tears like in 1947. For one last time.