AHC/WI: Unified India and Pakistan

Even if a unified India(present Pakistan and Bangladesh included) did exist, the formation of an independent "Dravidanadu" was not likely to occur. The Dravidian movement never had any supporters outside the state of Tamilnadu. The people of other South Indian states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala had no sympathy for the idea of Dravidianism. Even in Tamilnadu, where the movement was strong once, the people became disinterested in later years. If there was no partition, there would have been even less reason for a demand of a Dravidian homeland. There is no such a feeling of a Dravidian identity in South India, except among a few members of Dravida Kazhakam or similar outfits.
 
I have to quibble with the usual beliefs that a United India would be pro-US during the Cold War. Most major Muslim countries in this period were generally pro-USSR. Muslims are ultimately likely to support secular/socialist parties at the national level (as they do in India OTL). And while polarization will probably strengthen the more conservative, Hindu nationalist factions of the Congress, OTL his faction was also quite anti-Western early on for nationalist reasons. Moreover, the opposition to the Congress is going to be stronger and probably more leftist.

Pakistan being on the U.S. side was in many respects a reaction to *India* being relatively pro-Soviet. That isn't going to be a factor here.
 
I have to quibble with the usual beliefs that a United India would be pro-US during the Cold War. Most major Muslim countries in this period were generally pro-USSR. Muslims are ultimately likely to support secular/socialist parties at the national level (as they do in India OTL). And while polarization will probably strengthen the more conservative, Hindu nationalist factions of the Congress, OTL his faction was also quite anti-Western early on for nationalist reasons. Moreover, the opposition to the Congress is going to be stronger and probably more leftist.

Pakistan being on the U.S. side was in many respects a reaction to *India* being relatively pro-Soviet. That isn't going to be a factor here.

That's not true. It really depends on who leads *India for what side it's on, but initially Nehru allied with the US and he even provided some medical aid during the Korean War IOTL due to the UN resolution against NK. What eroded this alliance was when the US gradually allied with Pakistan, but it truly broke when Nixon opened China to the West and when he and Indira Gandhi grew to hate each other, the alliance truly broke apart. I think that what may happen is the liberals and socialists (the INC) would ally with the USSR and the conservatives (the Western Indians ITTL) would ally with the US.

I think the conservatives would win the tug of war and would push Indian politics rightward in comparison to IOTL and so it would ally with the US, not the USSR.
 

nastle

Banned
I have to quibble with the usual beliefs that a United India would be pro-US during the Cold War. Most major Muslim countries in this period were generally pro-USSR. Muslims are ultimately likely to support secular/socialist parties at the national level (as they do in India OTL). And while polarization will probably strengthen the more conservative, Hindu nationalist factions of the Congress, OTL his faction was also quite anti-Western early on for nationalist reasons. Moreover, the opposition to the Congress is going to be stronger and probably more leftist.

Pakistan being on the U.S. side was in many respects a reaction to *India* being relatively pro-Soviet. That isn't going to be a factor here.
I disagree
most muslims esp the religious ones were Pro-western and anti-USSR
the arabs flirtation with soviets was simply for military hardware they strictly opposed their social /economic policies

I also think India would be more socialists but muslim landowners would lose their power big time that why Pakistan was formed in the first place
 
I disagree
most muslims esp the religious ones were Pro-western and anti-USSR
the arabs flirtation with soviets was simply for military hardware they strictly opposed their social /economic policies

I also think India would be more socialists but muslim landowners would lose their power big time that why Pakistan was formed in the first place

Imdia's not going to be socialist. There is going to be a tug of war between socialism and conservatism, bringing Indian politics towards the centre.
 
Naturally a left of center political party, a party with social democratic ideals had the better chances of success in India, if parties were all ideology based. But, in India, parties are formed around leaders who exploit caste, community and regional interests for their selfish goals. No wonder, there are so many parties whose leaders are all criminal bastards. It would have been ideal if two parties, one left of center and the other, right of center developed. The Congress and the BJP could develop into such political formations. But, the Congress should liberate itself from the grip of the Nehru family.
 
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