Twitterati in Kerala rakes up #DravidaNadu over 'beef ban'

More than 50 years after the DMK dropped its demand for the Dravida Nadu, an independent nation comprising of four southern states, the hashtag #DravidaNadu was trending on Twitter with its origin from unlikeliest Kerala, not Tamil Nadu, thanks to Centre's notification banning the sale of cattle for the slaughter.

As the 'DravidaNadu' hashtag kept trending on Sunday night, it got enthusiastic support from Twitterati in Tamil Nadu. Union Ministry of Environment and Forest's notification banning the sale of cattle for the slaughter has not gone down well in Kerala where beef dishes are popular.

Twitterati from Kerala brought out DravidaNadu hashtag from nowhere to drive home their opposition to the Centre's so-called imposition of culture, language and food habits upon people. Even as polls were conducted on Twitter to select a city to be made the capital of Dravida Nadu, some raised an objection to secessionist demand.

The Dravida Nadu demand was dropped by DMK in November 1963 following Chinese aggression and amendment made into Indian Constitution making secessionist demand illegal. DMK adopted a resolution to drop the secessionist plank from the party's by-law and decided to strive for greater autonomy of the Southern States.

"Undoubtedly, Narendra Modi is the most powerful Prime Minister of India. He even converted a forgotten and Tamil Nadu -centric #DravidaNadu demand alive and South Indian one," tweeted Aazhi Senthil Nathan, a political analyst. He expressed surprise at such a demand coming from Kerala, a state ruled by Congress and Left parties for long.

DMK and Congress leaders in Tamil Nadu used it as a tool to hit out at the Centre and held the BJP responsible for the revival of demand for the Dravida Nadu demand. "#DravidaNadu trending is just a start. High alert to BJP for discrimination the religious thoughts and imposing Hindutva beliefs in South India," tweeted DMK MLA J Anbazhagan. Congress spokesperson Jothimani wrote, "This is what happens Mr Modi, when your government imposes stupid ideas on us. We will never let you destroy our rights and identity."

Congress leader and former minister of state Shashi Tharoor asked Twitterati to desist from expressing anti-national ideas. "Even though that is true, I implore my fellow Southerners not to express an anti-national idea like promoting #DravidaNadu. Let's improve India," he appealed in Twitter.

BJP's Tamil Nadu unit president Tamilisai Soundararajan said the demand for Dravida Nadu is nothing but a secessionist one. "Tamil Nadu youths should not fall prey to such demands," she said.