The Lt Governor of Delhi, Tejinder Khanna recently while launching the special mobile patrol of Delhi police alleged "it is fashion of the North-west Indians to violate laws. They feel pride in breaking rules, while in South India, people respect laws". Khanna, a few months back had recommended identity cards and special driving licences for North Indians in New Delhi.

CM, Ms Sheela Dixit had earlier regretted North Indians particularly those coming from Bihar and UP were burden on the state capital. In Maharashtra, Raj Thackarey is speaking against the North Indians and his supporters are attacking the taxi drivers of Bihar-UP origins operating their services in Mumbai, the house of Amitabh Bachchan is attacked, the office of Bhojpuri film hero, Manoj Tiwari is ransacked and the hall screening a Bhojpuri film is vandalized.

Not only the political leaders, but those occupying the constitutional posts like Lt Governor and CM are speaking against Bihar and UP and their people staying in the national capital and commercial capital of India. Four decades back, there was an agitation against Hindi in South India and against English in North India.

A few months back, labourers from Bihar and Jharkhand were massacred in Assam. Their crime, they came from North Indian states. A decade back, the Pandits from the Valley were ousted from their homeland, Kashmir when militancy gained momentum.

In Gujarat, there was an attempt to divide the society on communal lines after Godhra. In Ahmedabad, Muslims staying in the main housing colonies like Sarkhej, Pragatinagar, Vijay Nagar, Navrangpura left the cosmopolitan "societies" (as the residential colonies are called there) and migrated in the cluster of colonies developed for the Minorities only on the outskirts.

Is India heading towards Balkanisation, whether the Indian Republic is cracking up like different unions in the United Socialist Soviet Republic? A dangerous trend which can divide the nation. Because, those speaking in terms of South-North divide are not tribals, but elites of the society, civil services and politics.

It is just impossible to believe that a person like Raj Thackeray with no political standing and following can carry out this 'regional cleansing' without any political patronage.

It's situation like this that feeds the fuel to anarchy; where the oppressed finding no one to safeguard his rights and legitimate interest takes the 'law' (which in the first place has been torn to pieces by the perpetrator) in his own hand. Clashes start and gradually it spreads into wherever it sees an opportunity to thrive. And it is situation like these that shows how helpless the common mass still is.

Fortunately there has been no counter reaction from the people of the states from which the victims hail and one can only imagine what would happen if their belief that people like Raj Thackeray will be brought to the books is shattered.

Shiv Sena was earlier more of a pawn which the Congress used to its benefit, now the same Shiv sena runs a parallel government in Maharashtra. There is more than enough evidence to book Bal Thackeray for the anti-Muslim riots of 1992 but he is still out because successive state governments have said that his arrest may lead to large scale violence.

Sometimes people forget that pawns never remain a pawn, after completing the required steps it becomes a very powerful 'Wazir'. Same was the case with Bal Thackeray and god forbidding same will be the result in Raj's case if the state continues to keep its eyes shut.

There are provisions in law which are enough to haul Raj Thackeray into the prisons but as has been the misfortune of this country legal provisions have always been made but never applied; even if they are then it's the poor that face them and rarely the powerful.

Raj Thackeray's ambition for a greater role in Maharashtra has fuelled his narrow mentality and his good organizational skill has helped him gather a sizeable following. Not surprisingly he follows his idol Hitler whom he admires for his organizational skill.

The precedent that is being set by the Congress ruled state is very detrimental for the framework of this country. The north-eastern states of Assam and its sisters have been facing this issue of regionalism for long.

Vote bank politics drives everything in this country and times are rare when political parties rise over it but this is truly a time when they need to look at things apolitically.

Another very important point of focus is the lack of employment in these BIMARU states. The state machinery of these north-eastern states needs to work on improving the existing employment opportunity and take up development work that will increase the employment level. Once this has been achieved the migration will come down.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel took lot of pain to integrate the erstwhile 600 princely states into one dominion, India and now we have Thackarey who is hell bent on undoing the efforts of Vallabhbhai.

Going by the recent happenings Maharashtra for Marathi, Punjab for Punjabi and Bihar for Bihari doesn't look far. And it will soon be a reality if the leaders continue to follow their 'modest' political ambitions but who can wake the slumber of those who sleep in Delhi.