North-South India is generally represented by states to the north and south of Vindhyas. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana are Hindi-belt generally considered as 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 polarisation of North-South India.
Dravida Nadu concept
Dravida Nadu is the name of a hypothetical “sovereign state” demanded by the Justice Party led by E. V. Ramasamy and the Dravida Munnetra.
The concept of Dravida Nadu had its root in the anti-Brahminism movement in Tamil Nadu, which demanded social equality, greater power, and control in government administration. Later, it took the hue of a separatist movement, demanding a sovereign Tamil state.
Periyar E.V. Ramasamy first floated Dravida Nadu as a political idea. In 1925, he launched the Self-respect movement, and by the 1930s, he was formulating the most radical “anti-Aryanism.” The rapport between the Justice Party and the Self-Respect movement of E.V.Ramasamy strengthened the anti-Brahmin and anti-North sentiment.
Constitutional divide
The Constitutional Dimension of the North-South divide is subsumed mainly in the more significant issue of Centre-State relations and issues relating to federalism in India.
These two fault lines, the North-South divide and the centralization of power in union government, have intertwined to make matters more complex. Since south Indian states are historically dominated by regional parties, which were different from national parties occupying at the center and North Indian states, President’s rule had been used arbitrarily against South Indian states.
Social divide
India slowly cleaves into a more prosperous, older South and a poorer, younger North. According to Census 2011, southern states are showing a faster decline in the population growth rate than the northern states. As a result, there is a scarcity of unskilled labor in the south, which is filled in by migration from other parts of the country.
Economic Survey 2015-16 also pointed out that changing demographic patterns and migration of unskilled laborers from North to South can generate a cultural conflict in the country. The Urban section of the population with rapid demographic change resulting in higher female
labor force participation would follow lifestyles different from other sections.
