After the trend of the election projected that BJP would form government in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh, Congress supporters led by Tamil Nadu Congress leader Karti Chidambaram started sharing divisive posts fanning the ‘North-South divide’. They insinuated and tried to cast aspersions on BJP’s victory and North voters as ‘communal’, ‘casteist’, and uneducated lots.
Senior Congress leader and son of Former UPA Home Minister P Chidambaram, Karti tweeted, “The SOUTH!”
Similarly, Chairman of Congress’ data analytic department Praveen Chakravarty wrote, “The South-North boundary line getting thicker & clearer!” along with a picture stating ‘South vs North’ written on it. However, after facing massive backlash, he deleted the tweet.
Another Twitter user claimed that the results show that “India’s split is complete” and it is “progressive South vs Communal North”. The post read, “India’s split is now complete. It’s progressive South vs Communal North. I dont know for how long the south will pay for and carry the north’s bigotry.”
In another tweet, he referred to the North Indian belt as Bimaru and the “dung belt”. The user said, “All the bigots from North India are showing us why they are called bimaru and dung belt in comments.”
Author Mini Nair who has written for the propaganda portal Newsclick wrote, “South India- BJPRSS mukt!!”
A Twitter user named Anita Jacob tweeted, “Hence proved – South is aware and North is still lagging far behind.”
Another user tried to target migrant workers, wrote, “They vote for Bjp in the Hindi Belt and then go down to the South for Work.”
However, the handles spreading the divisive ‘North-South’ rhetoric were slammed by netizens. Several users also highlighted points to bust the myth of this ‘North-South’ divide.
Popular Twitter user Mr. Sinha lambasted the support of such leaders. He wrote, “He’s (Praveen Chakravarty who shared North-South divide poster) chairman of Congress’s data analytic department, he wants India to divide into (again) two pieces “South & North”. Anybody who votes/supports these naughties are anti-nationals.”
Research fellow Prasanna Karthik took a jibe at the Congress party for its anti-thetical stance, creating a rift through the North-South divide while claiming to ‘unit’ India by Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra.
He said, “One can’t walk from Kanyakumari to Kashmir in the name of uniting India, and talk of a north-south divide after losing an election. Like Vajpayee eloquently put it, “Elections come and go. Parties come and go. Politicians come and go. But India and the idea of India shall long endure.”