According to Nongbri, the trend of the earlier phase of ethnic assertion among the tribes of the North East has now been replaced by which of the following?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → A search for autonomy within the framework of the Indian Constitution
Option (1) A demand for incorporation within the administrative machinery of Assam — Incorrect. Incorporation within the administrative machinery of Assam is what the tribes doubted after independence. Conscious of their distinct identity, they were unsure of it, so it cannot be the later trend.
Option (2) A tendency towards secession from the Indian Union — Incorrect. A tendency towards secession marks the earlier phase of ethnic assertion. In Nongbri's view, this is the very trend that has been replaced.
Option (3) A search for autonomy within the framework of the Indian Constitution — Correct. Nongbri finds that the later phase seeks autonomy within the framework of the Indian Constitution. The tribes now want self-rule inside the Indian Union and no longer seek to break away.
Option (4) A struggle centred on the nationalisation of forest produce — Incorrect. Boycotting the nationalisation of forest produce was an issue of the Jharkhand movement in south Bihar. It has no place in Nongbri's account of ethnic assertion in the North East.
NCERT (2026-27): “The North East … |