WI- United India

[SlideAway]

India isn't going to seek a breakup of Afghanistan, something which is likelier to create instability on its borders than anything else. There's also reason to doubt that Pashtuns would be particularly separatist; OTL, NWFP was actually a stronghold of the Indian National Congress, through their alliance with the Red Shirts or Khudai Khidmatgar, and prominent leaders like Abdul Ghaffar Khan and has family were in favor of a united India. OTL, NWFP/KP province has actually been a stronghold of the Pakistani left.

Where I could foresee separatism is Balochistan, which was always very weakly integrated into India, much of it being ruled by various khanates. I'm not entirely sure that it would have been integrated into an independent united India at all: absent Partition, Indian leaders would have clearly prioritized retaining Sindh, all of Punjab, Kashmir, East Bengal, and the NWFP; I could see them cutting a deal with the Khan of Kalat for Baluchi independence, however.

 

[BigBlueBox]

If India is never partitioned, I think it would either be forced to decentralize to the point that it looks more like a confederation than a federation, or suffer from constant low-level conflict (like Myanmar) or even a civil war.

 

[Kishan]

If India is never partitioned, I think it would either be forced to decentralize to the point that it looks more like a confederation than a federation, or suffer from constant low-level conflict (like Myanmar) or even a civil war.

Why? Of course, the partition had encouraged the Congress leadership to adopt a constitution with a strong Central Government that India is termed as a quasi-federal state. But even if partition had been avoided the Congress would have pressed for a strong Central Government. That is why they turned down the proposal of the three groups of provinces giving the groups more power than the Federal Government.

 

[BigBlueBox]

Why? Of course, the partition had encouraged the Congress leadership to adopt a constitution with a strong Central Government that India is termed as a quasi-federal state. But even if partition had been avoided the Congress would have pressed for a strong Central Government. That is why they turned down the proposal of the three groups of provinces giving the groups more power than the Federal Government.

The Muslim League isn't going to go away without partition, and would be in favor of decentralization. Linguistic minorities are also likely to support decentralization.

 

[Madhukar_Shah]

Could partition have been averted, while maintaining the strong central government that congress wanted if they were more accommodating to the Muslim League in the general elections in 37, allowing them to exist as an independent party in coalition instead of the coalition forcing them to be completely subsumed into congress? The Muslim league would thus be a lot more used to working with congress and because a lot of their otl rhetoric centred around how oppressive congress would be and Muslims would be prevented from gaining political power in a united India, in ttl, those claims would look a lot less credible and probably butterfly away the Lahore resolution.

 

[Kishan]

Jawaharlal Nehru was the bitterest critic of Muslim League and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Though we have to agree with many of the reasons put forward by Nehru for his adamant stand on not co-operating with Muslim League in U.P. we must accept the fact this created a very high wall of mistrust between the Congress and the League. The Muslim League was not ready to trust or co-operate with the Congress in future and Jinnah was too willing to play to the tune of the British Govt. in their "divide and rule" policy.

 

[Lord_Vespasian]

If India is never partitioned, I think it would either be forced to decentralize to the point that it looks more like a confederation than a federation, or suffer from constant low-level conflict (like Myanmar) or even a civil war.

I agree. I don't get why India would even want Burma and Afghanistan, they would hardly add to the wealth and industrial capabilities of the country and be major sources of internal conflict and instability and possibility of UN trouble. In my TL(shameless plug don't hate pls) I have the INC decide that the Raj's borders, save for Ceylon, are their right when they become independent and it leads to massive revolts beginning in Burma.

Seriously, Burma and Afghanistan are so small and have so little population comparatively speaking it would be a drop in the bucket for India. India lives and dies as a superpower based on the Deccan Plateau and the surrounding regions