PROBLEMS OF NATIONAL UNITY 61 ex-colonies. Regional chauvinism, based on caste, religious and communal exclusLveness, finds a ready ally in imperialism. It is this growing convergence between regional separatism and imperialist designs which have given the Assamese chauvinist movement, the separatist north-east movements and the Sikh extremist challenge their special character of being a menace to Indian unity. Task before the United Working Class Movement The working class movement, in order to forge the broadest democratic alliance, especially with the peasantry, has to take into account the complex national problem in India. Principled support to the legitimate nationality aspirations for equality and balanced economic development requires the championing of states5 autonomy and restructuring of the Centre-state relations under the Constitution; the left movement has to champion the cause of people of all nationalities who are all exploited by the common bourgeois-landlord ruling classes; it has to fight to safeguard their linguistic and cultural aspirations; fight for the equality of all languages and against the imposition of English or Hindi; it has to struggle for the tribal and oppressed minorities and oppose their brutal exploitation. This, however, has to be done in the framework of developing the unity of the working dais and toiling people belonging to all nationalities, castes and religious groups. Therefore, the united working class movement can have no truck with regional separatism and parochialism which affects the unity and integrity of the Indian state. Here the left movement has to stand firm and expose the pseudo-radical character of certain ultra-left elements who are championing the right of self-determination of nationalities and advocating regional separatism and secessionism. There are such groups who claim that the separatist movement of Assam) Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and even Punjab are democratic movements against the all-India rulling class. In a seminar held in Madras on '.Nationality Question in India5 in August 1981, the bulk of the papers and participants advocated such an approach.5 This is a downright disruptive trend which will splinter and disarm the working class. The right of self-determination is upheld as a permanent and abstract principle quoting the authority of Lenin. This was a right advocated by Lenin in the context of Russia and similar situations where minority nationalities faced the national oppression of a major nationality or group of nationalities. This form of national oppression does not exist in independent India. It has been. supplanted by class oppression by a ruling class which is a composite one drawn from all nationalities. The character of the Indian state also reflects this reality. The advocacy of the right of secession is helping today all the forces of regional chauvinism to infect the common people with bourgeois nationalism and parochial prejudices. This leads to division of the workers and peasants on sectarian lines. In today's India, the break-up