What's the north-south controversy following BJP's win in assembly elections
What's the story
Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday asked the opposition parties, constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), to not divide the country by pitting the north against the south.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi works to unite the nation and has introduced One Nation, One Ration Card to bring all states under the umbrella of a transparent public distribution system.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Goyal's statement came after Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP DNV Senthil Kumar's disparaging remark against the northern states where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won in the recent assembly elections.
Following backlash, he apologized on Wednesday after calling the Hindi heartland states "gaumutra (cow urine) states."
However, the comments have reignited the debate concerning the long-standing differences between India's northern and southern regions.
Details
Congress's Praveen Chakravarty deletes north-south post after backlash
Congress leader Praveen Chakravarty sparked a similar controversy after election results were declared on Sunday.
He posted, "The South-North boundary line getting thicker and clearer!" alluding to the supposed cultural divide and alleged secessionist sentiments.
He later deleted the post after the BJP cornered him, citing the Sanatan Dharma controversy.
The Congress won in Telangana but lost in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, and Rajasthan.
Statement
BJP's attack puts INDIA leaders on backfoot
Soon, the BJP attacked the INDIA bloc, saying that after trying to divide India on caste lines—referring to the proposed nationwide caste census—they now want to divide the country on regional lines.
Referring to Senthil's comment in the Lok Sabha, DMK's TR Baalu said, "The statement made by Senthil Kumar was not correct. MK Stalin has warned the particular member."
Insights
What is the 'gaumutra' reference?
While cows are revered and considered holy by Hindus across the country, the Hindi heartland states have gained notoriety due to rising violence by cow vigilantes.
The purported cow protectionists have showcased a pseudoscientific trend of consuming cow urine and dung while falsely proclaiming its health benefits.
BJP leaders have come to be associated with those quarters after openly supporting them.
Divide
Data shows southern states continue to outperform the rest
Although the north and south were culturally divided at the time of Independence, the southern states' growth rate surpassed that of the northern states after the 1980s.
Decades of widely reported government data show that the southern states—Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana—perform better than the rest of India regarding the economy, literacy, healthcare, nutrition, and population control, among others.
Information
Congress earlier won Karnataka, Himachal
Before winning in Telangana in the recent assembly elections, the Congress won in Karnataka earlier this year along with Himachal Pradesh—located further up north than the states where the BJP won. Notably, the Congress government in Karnataka was preceded by the BJP's.