What has been the most powerful instrument for the formation of ethno-national identity in India?
(A) Linguistic Identity
(B) Regional Identity
(C) Tribal Identity
(D) Religious Identity
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (B) and (C) only
(A) Linguistic Identity Correct. Language is the first of the three. The formation of linguistic states has allowed India to accommodate its many language communities.
(B) Regional Identity Correct. Language coupled with regional identity has given rise to ethno-national identity; regional deprivation was one of the bases of the new states of 2000.
(C) Tribal Identity Correct. Tribal identity completes the three; in Chhattisgarh, Uttaranchal and Jharkhand, ethnicity based on tribal identity was a basis for statehood.
(D) Religious Identity Incorrect. Language coupled with regional and tribal identity – and not religion – has provided the most powerful instrument for the formation of ethno-national identity in India.
NCERT (2025-26): “6.2 Regionalism in the Indian Context … Language coupled with regional and tribal identity – and not religion – has therefore provided the most powerful instrument for the formation of ethno-national identity in India. However, this does not mean that all linguistic communities have got statehood. For instance, in the creation of three new states in 2000, namely Chhatisgarh, Uttaranchal and Jharkhand, language did not play a prominent role. Rather, a combination of ethnicity based on tribal identity, language, regional deprivation and ecology provided the basis for intense regionalism resulting in statehood.…” |