By Sarah

The political environment in India has seen a dramatic change since the BJP came to power. In the broad scheme of things, issues like Khalistan and India Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) seem to have taken a backseat. The North-South divide in India, a difficult issue that illustrates the intricacies and differences inside the nation, has seized the lead instead. The BJP's eagerness to control the South is frequently perceived as an effort to seize control of the politics in the southern states of India. The South's will to resist the BJP's perceived irresponsible and authoritarian leadership is vividly depicted in India's current political landscape. The rivalry between India's North and South is anticipated to grow as political groups prepare for forthcoming elections. BJP's extremist leaders are likely to use every available means to increase their influence, including continuous use of the phrase "war rhetoric against Pakistan."

North-South India is generally represented by states to north and south of Vindhyas. The Hindi-belt of Uttar Pradesh, Madya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana is generally considered the heartland of North India. Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala is considered mainly South India. This imaginary distinction between north-south India has a history that goes back to the pre-independence era. From time to time, this fault line becomes active, leading to the polarization of North-South India. Politicization of this fault line has lead to many consequences for India as a nation. Political parties of both North and South India have made this imaginary separation a plank for their political entrepreneurship. This North-South divide is characterized by various fault lines such as geography, economy, politics etc.

Spatially and temporally, these fault lines had been activated at various times. Currently, there is a resurgence of Dravida Nadu concept in South India. Dravida Nadu is the name of a hypothetical “sovereign state” demanded by Justice Party led by E. V. Ramasamy and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) led by C. N. Annadurai for the speakers of the Dravidian languages in South Asia. The concept of Dravida Nadu had its roots in the anti-Brahminism movement in Tamil Nadu which demanded social equality, greater power and control in government administration. Later it had taken the hue of a separatist movement, demanding a sovereign Tamil state. In India, there is an extreme division between the Aryans of North and Dravidians of South. Its objective was to create a separate homeland for Tamils, free of Aryan Influence. The first demand for Dravidu Nadu was made in 1963. The founder of DMK Annadurai is famous for his statement, “The reasons for the creation of Dravida Nadu continue to hold good.” According to an article published in The Hindu, Dravidu Nadu is a political idea given by Ramasamy who came up with the slogan in response to when Hindi was made compulsory in school education.

North India has had a very different historical experience than south India. Many of the invasions coming through the passes of Hindukush have constructed and re-constructed the historical experience of North. The constitutional dimension of the North-South divide is largely subsumed in the larger issue of Centre-State relations and issues relating to federalism in India. These two fault lines, North-South divide and centralization of power in union government, have intertwined to make the matters more complex. 

Economic Survey of 2015-16 has pointed out spatial dispersion in income is still rising in India in the last decade (2004-14) despite more porous borders within India than between countries internationally – the forces of “convergence” have been elusive. This spatial dispersion in income is mainly occurring along North-South divide or more broadly, along peninsular and hinterland India.

BJP is trying hard to hijack politics of the Southern states, which are far better than Northern States in terms of Law and Order, Per Capita Income, Taxation System, Literacy Rate, and Population Control. The effective population control by saner and educated southern states has in fact turned into a nightmare which will haunt them in upcoming elections. From 1951 to 2022, population of southern states has decreased from 26 to 20 percent while that of Northern States has increased from 39 to 43 percent. Evidently, Modi’s BJP is faced with the embarrassment of losing state elections in the Southern States, and decrease in popularity as per the Karnataka’s 2023 polls. However, Modi’s agenda of gaining an uncontested popularity to win 2024 elections and beyond has started taking its toll. They have come up with a cunning plan. The India to “Bharat” tantrum and “One Nation - One Election” mantra is being propagated to achieve fascist ideology objectives.

The present political milieu in India makes it quite evident that South Indians have no plans to be subjugated by irresponsible and fascist leadership of BJP. The North–South animosity is likely to aggravate before upcoming elections as extremist BJP leaders will play every trick up their sleeves to consolidate their hold on power. Linked to this is “War rhetoric against Pakistan”. The struggle between North and South India is not simply about regional disparities, but also over opposing beliefs and future ambitions for the nation. It is a dilemma that the country must face and address as it forges ahead, one that will definitely determine the course of this complex and diverse democracy.

One thing is certain, though: these activities are the last-ditch efforts of a BJP in trouble. In their last-ditch struggle to hold onto power, they may unintentionally become the driving force behind India's internal divisions, particularly the widening gap between North and South India. One cannot rule out the possibility of staging a false-flag operation against Pakistan as an unlikely scenario. Maligning Pakistan's reputation for political benefit and dividing Indian society have both been successful in the past. These actions tend to radicalize the entire country, not just the North.

*Opinions expressed in this article are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of The South Asia Times