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Communism in India: An Influential History
One of the biggest culture shocks for me when I visited Tamil Nadu over the summer was the sheer number of communist flags around the city of Chennai. They seemed almost comical to me, as they were a stark contrast to the anti-communist culture I had become accustomed to while living in the American South.
There is a clear political divide between northern and southern India. In the north, Hindutva ideology and "Modi fever" continue to expand and gain traction. According to Jindal Global Law Review, anti-Muslim hate crimes have seen a substantial increase since 2015 due to the growing power of the BJP. However, a strong sense of anti-casteism and communist thought stays relevant in southern Indian states such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Southern Indian politics are undoubtedly more leftist with a favor towards secularism. The well-loved current chief minister of Tamil Nadu – M.K Stalin – was named after Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Communism in Kerala is active and ruled by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M). One may wonder how this political divide came to fruition in the first place.