There should be a place for the opposition in a democracy. But if you analyze the political parties of South India, you will find disappointment. Caste based politics, separatist thinking, opposition to Hindi at any cost, inferiority complex, North Indian states are more developed and South India gets step-motherly treatment. There are six states in South India, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. There are 12 big regional parties. AIADMK, DMK, YSR Congress, BRS and NR Congress of Puducherry – these six different parties are in power in six states. Communist in Kerala, DMK in Tamil Nadu, YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh, Congress in Karnataka, BRS in Telangana and pro-BJP NR Congress in Puducherry. Eight of these parties do not have a common agenda, but they are with the India Alliance. Just like Kejriwal’s AAP is seen standing with Congress and CPM with Trinamool Congress.
There are six contenders for the post of Prime Minister in South India. MK Stalin’s ambition is to win all the 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and then stake claim. Jagan Reddy wants to wipe out the Congress in Andhra Pradesh and he is also a contender for the post of PM. Then why would Siddaramaiah and P Chidambaram be left behind? But who is the national face among them? Who has a bigger stature than Narendra Modi? India has had two prime ministers from the South – PV Narasimha Rao and HD Deve Gowda. In the last 30 years, since 1989, when Vishwanath Pratap Singh was the prime minister, the DMK has been involved in every central government. There is a perception about DMK in North India that they are corrupt. Arun Jaitley gave the name to DMK, earn daily money, and Amit Shah also used this phrase in his recent speeches in Tamil Nadu.
But after 30 years, DMK has also got a taste of power. In order to break the wall of North-South, there is serious consideration within the BJP to field Narendra Modi from Varanasi as well as Ramanathapuram seat in Tamil Nadu in the next election. Modi seems to be moving in the direction of such a plan, which is indicated by some of his initiatives regarding the Tamil language. Like, last year he started Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi. Whenever he goes to any international conference, he takes the name of Tamil poets, Thiruvalluvar or Subramaniam Bharathi there. During the Ukraine war, the Modi government evacuated 2500 students from Tamil Nadu and a total of 10,500 students from six southern states from the war zone. In such a situation, won’t the South Indian voters understand that irrespective of whether the government is UPA or NDA, the central government always takes care of the South?
Why do South Indian parties run away from North Indian leaders? For example, in the first meeting of the opposition in Patna, Stalin did not stop to appear with Nitish Kumar. On the issue of migrants, there has been a sense of disdain for ‘Bihari Bhaiya’ in South Indian parties. When Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah attacks Hindi, the DMK has been openly calling Governor RN Ravi ‘Bihari Bechara’. The party has been saying in a contemptuous tone that those who sell pani puri are ‘Biharis or brothers from UP’. In the presence of Stalin, his minister Ponmudi has been spewing venom against North Indians. Last year, the issue of Bihari migrants in Tamil Nadu would not have been resolved without the intervention of Nitish and Tejashwi Yadav. Looking at the increasing number of migrants in the last decade, it is conceivable that one day a Bihari may become a minister in the Tamil Nadu government. They have dominance in agriculture, hospitality and textile sector in three important states of the South.
The opposition parties of the South are shrinking and they have no ideology except opposing Narendra Modi. Overall, the Bengaluru-born India Alliance cannot gain a foothold in South India, due to its negative politics and lack of common ideology. This can be attributed to the popularity of the BJP in South India, and especially to party leaders such as Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, JP Nadda and Yogi Adityanath, especially after the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya began. This is the reason why Amit Shah recently laid the foundation stone of the tallest statue of Lord Rama and a big Ram temple in Andhra Pradesh. In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the party is also making inroads among Muslims for reasons like triple talaq and withdrawal of Article 370 from Kashmir. Now there is discussion of Uniform Civil Code. Muslim youths feel that for the prosperity of minorities, it is necessary to have a strong government at the center and they should not be considered as vote banks. Whatever be the opinion about the alliance of the opposition, it is a welcome step from the parties fighting among themselves. Political struggle will continue in South India.
(These are the personal views of the author)