A unified India is nonnegotiable
Political parties should not exacerbate a north-south divide
The southern states are unhappy with the terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission, which is to decide the ‘distribution between the Union and the States of the net proceeds of taxes’. The body is mandated to take into account the 2011 census instead of the 1971 census. This, states in the south feel, will result in penalising them for keeping population growth stable — while rewarding the northern states. Their collective discontent on the issue comes at a time when the politics of at least three of the southern states is in a churn. In Karnataka, ahead of the elections, the Congress government has decided to use sub-nationalism — by emphasising the primacy of Kannada and declaring its own flag. In Andhra Pradesh the TDP and the YSRCP, have taken positions against what they claim is the Centre’s betrayal of not granting Special Category Status to the state. In Tamil Nadu, political space has opened up with Jayalalithaa’s death. This is happening in a context when there has been an increasing opposition to what is seen as an effort by ‘northern parties’ to impose linguistic and cultural homogeneity. Take it all together and what you have is a disturbing picture of an emerging fault line between the North and the South.
A unified India is a non-negotiable principle. And that is why it is essential that the Centre, state governments, and all parties address the divide. Here is what Delhi needs to do. The Centre must send a message to all five southern states — Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana — that it will ensure that they do not lose on funds because of progressive policies and better governance. But this is beyond a specific policy technicality. PM Narendra Modi should reach out to the citizens in the south to reassure them of his commitment to diversity.
The BJP needs to do more to convey that it has evolved from being just a North Indian party. At the same time, here is what the southern governments and parties running them must do. Tough negotiations or differences with the Centre must not be projected as a battle with the centre or north. India cannot afford a North-South divide.