At a college seminar on identity and the nation, Meera notes that a call for national unity runs through Indian state policy from one decade to the next. She wonders which of the two textbook models of how nation-states treat community identities India actually follows. Arjun suggests they first check how the Constitution treats religion and language in public life. Their teacher adds that they should also look at what comparative surveys of long-standing democracies have found about India, a country of many religions, languages and regions.
Which of the following best answers the question Meera raises?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → India has not been integrationist in that sense, though national integration is a constant theme of policy
Option (1) India fits the integrationist model, since national integration is a constant theme in state policy — Incorrect. National integration is indeed a constant theme in state policy. Yet the integrationist model means removing cultural differences from public life, and India has not done this.
Option (2) India fits the assimilationist model, since the Constitution declares the state to be secular — Incorrect. The Constitution does declare a secular state, but this is not assimilation. Religion and language are not banished from the public sphere, and the Indian state ruled out an assimilationist model from its very beginning.
Option (3) India has not been integrationist in that sense, though national integration is a constant theme of policy — Correct. India fits neither model of Box 6.1. National integration is a constant theme of policy, but the state openly recognises religious and language communities, so India is better seen as a state-nation.
Option (4) India fits the assimilationist model, since some sections of the dominant community have demanded it — Incorrect. Some sections of the dominant Hindu community have demanded an assimilationist model. A demand is not state policy, and the Indian state has ruled this model out.
Note: Assimilation tries to wipe out group differences altogether, often by suppression; integration removes them only from public life and allows them in private.
NCERT (2026-27): “Cultural Diversity and India as a Nation-state … |