In the span of a single week, India has found itself at the center of renewed separatist controversies—both from abroad and within its own borders—raising urgent questions about the country’s unity and the resilience of its federal structure. On one hand, Indian authorities have acted swiftly to ban the X (formerly Twitter) account of Austrian economist Gunther Fehlinger-Jahn after he posted a provocative map supporting a Khalistan carved out of Indian territory and called for the “dismantling of India.” On the other, Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister M K Stalin, leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), faces mounting scrutiny and criticism for his escalating rhetoric and political maneuvers aimed at the creation of a separate Dravidian Nation.
According to NDTV, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology moved quickly after Fehlinger-Jahn’s viral post, ordering X to withhold access to his account for Indian users. The offending post did not mince words: “I call to dismantle India into ExIndia. Narendra Modi is Russia’s man. We need friend of freedom for @KhalistanNet.” The map he shared suggested not only a Khalistan but also the separation of other regions from India—an act that Indian authorities deemed a serious security threat, especially given the Khalistan movement’s history and its status as a sensitive issue for the Indian government.
The Khalistan movement, rooted in the aspiration for an independent Sikh homeland, has long been a flashpoint for Indian security agencies. Fehlinger-Jahn’s support for this cause, as well as his subsequent calls for a boycott of India and for “no visas for Indians as long as Putin’s friend Narendra Modi stays in power,” drew swift and angry reactions on social media. His posts came in the wake of Prime Minister Modi’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China—a meeting that, according to Reuters, also saw Putin reiterate his demand that Western leaders halt NATO’s eastward expansion as a condition for ending the war in Ukraine. Fehlinger-Jahn, who claims to chair an Austrian committee on NATO enlargement (though no evidence of such a committee exists), has a history of provocative statements, including calls for Armenia to join NATO and for the breakup of Russia itself.
While the international incident with Fehlinger-Jahn played out online, a more persistent and potentially destabilizing movement has been gathering steam within India’s own borders. Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister M K Stalin has, according to reporting from PGurus, intensified his push for the secession of Tamil Nadu from India, reviving the dream of a Dravidian Nation. Stalin’s efforts are reportedly bolstered by a coalition of separatist and radical groups, including Islamist outfits like the Popular Front of India, SDPI, Jamaat-e-Islami, remnants of the LTTE, urban Naxalites, evangelist networks, and even the ruling CPI(M) in neighboring Kerala.
Stalin’s confrontational approach has been most visible in his dealings with Governor R N Ravi, a respected former IPS officer. Since Ravi’s appointment in September 2021, the relationship between the state’s executive and the governor’s office has been openly hostile. The flashpoint came when Governor Ravi withheld assent to a bill abolishing the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)—a move the DMK saw as a blow to its control over medical college admissions. Stalin’s public dismissal of the governor as a “postman” (India Today, April 26, 2022; Times of India, April 20, 2025) was widely criticized by constitutional experts, who pointed out that Articles 154 and 200 of the Indian Constitution grant the governor significant executive powers, including the authority to withhold, return, or reserve bills for presidential consideration. These safeguards, the framers believed, were essential to prevent state legislatures from unilaterally declaring independence from the Union.
The DMK-led Tamil Nadu Assembly has also passed controversial resolutions, such as the demand to retrieve Katchatheevu Island from Sri Lanka—a move dismissed as impractical by both constitutional experts and the Supreme Court, which noted that only war could achieve such an outcome. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu remains the only Indian state without a single Navodaya Vidyalaya, a network of schools intended to democratize educational opportunity. Stalin has opposed their establishment, citing resistance to “Hindi imposition,” even as elite private schools in the state continue to teach Hindi. Critics argue this exposes a political hypocrisy that denies opportunity to the poor while preserving privilege for the wealthy.
Language and cultural issues are deeply intertwined with these political battles. DMK leaders have linked Hindi and Sanskrit to Sanatana Dharma and have opposed their spread in Tamil Nadu as part of a broader strategy to foster cultural alienation and strengthen future secessionist claims. This trend is not new: the 2017 Marina Beach sit-in demanding the resumption of Jallikattu—a traditional bull-taming sport banned by the Supreme Court—was widely seen as part of a larger anti-India agitation, with LTTE sympathizers and Tamil chauvinists playing prominent roles. The government’s eventual ordinance overturning the ban emboldened anti-national elements, culminating in the violent protests against Sterlite Copper in Thoothukudi, which left over 30 people dead. Observers have described these events as “test runs” for secessionist mobilization under banners like “Cutting South.”
Stalin’s advocacy of a Dravidian Nation has deep roots in the DMK’s history. In 2018, he publicly declared that this was the party’s ultimate aim, a sentiment once enshrined in the DMK’s constitution before being dropped under constitutional pressure. Allies such as MDMK, VCK, and DK openly endorse separatism; VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan has even declared that “North Indians will not be allowed to enter Tamil Nadu.” Senior DMK ministers have been accused of normalizing ethnic chauvinism by belittling Hindi speakers and migrants.
Governor Ravi has challenged these narratives by citing global research debunking the Aryan invasion theory, prompting Stalin to promote politically motivated claims about the Keeladi excavations—claims dismissed by the Archaeological Survey of India as pseudo-history. Stalin’s vision for a Dravidian Nation extends beyond Tamil Nadu, allegedly including Tamil-majority regions of Sri Lanka, and even parts of Malaysia and Myanmar, echoing rhetoric once used by the LTTE. Reports suggest that remnants of the LTTE, Maoist networks, and international evangelical groups continue to fund this separatist project, with analysts arguing that Stalin is stoking these flames to consolidate his political base and secure positions of power for his extended family.
The recent convergence of separatist pressures—both from foreign provocateurs like Fehlinger-Jahn and from homegrown political actors—has put India’s unity under renewed strain. While the government has acted decisively in some cases, the persistence of these movements suggests that the underlying tensions remain unresolved. As the country navigates an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape, the challenge of balancing regional aspirations with national integrity has rarely felt more acute.
As India faces these simultaneous internal and external challenges to its unity, the stakes for its political future—and for the stability of South Asia—are higher than ever.
