Is there really a north-south divide in India or it is just our figments of imagination? And if there is one, then are the political parties trying to take advantage of it? To talk about this burning topic, journalist Anurag Sason has an in-depth conversation with doctor JS Rajkumar who is the chairman of The Lifeline Hospitals and is also very socially active. He is now known as “the social man”!
Here are the important excerpts from the exclusive interview. Scroll down to watch the complete interview.
Q1) Is there really a north-south divide in India?
Dr JS Rajkumar: There has been made a divide! North Indians and South Indians love each other. But this divide has been brought in by some regional south Indian political parties. It is mostly a linguistic divide.
From ancient times, south Indians have been saying that “the whole world is my land and all people are my relatives”. Now, this is exactly what Prime Minister Narendra Modi is saying – Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam!
Q2) Which political party is trying to take advantage of this so-called north-south divide?
Dr JS Rajkumar: 2-3 south Indian political parties are doing that. Predominantly, it is being done by DMK and AIADMK.
Q3) Is PM Narendra Modi bridging the so-called north India-south India divide?
Dr JS Rajkumar: I am Modi Bhakt. He is patching the divide. Modi ji is giving a message that we are one from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.
Q4) If Prime Minister Modi has done so much to bridge the north-south divide then why the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suffered defeat in the 2023 Telangana Assembly election?
Dr JS Rajkumar: The BJP has faced defeat in the state but there is definitely an improvement when it comes to the share of votes.
Q5) Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi has also done the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. Is he not bridging the so-called north-south divide?
Dr JS Rajkumar: Comparing Rahul Gandhi with Narendra Modi is like comparing a rat with an elephant!
WATCH FULL INTERVIEW
About the author: Anurag Sason is an Indian journalist with experience in mainstream journalism. He has worked in newspaper, news agency, TV, news app (short video sharing app) and digital media. He tweets at @AnuragSason
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Disclaimer: The interview is taken in the personal capacity and exclusively for this news website.
Anurag Sason 