There are at least a million differences in the political landscape of north and south India. Even the irrelevance of ?national parties? was a construct of Tamil Nadu, way before Uttar Pradesh came to discover the mould. The Congress?s preeminence there was smashed by the emergence of the bitter rivalry between the offshoots of the powerful Dravida movement, led by the DMK and AIADMK.

Both these Dravida parties are light years removed from their basics today. But the Ram cauldron stirred up by the stand taken by the ASI in the Supreme Court while answering Subramaniam Swamy?s question on the divine origins of Ramar Sethu or Adam?s Bridge, has again brought the origins of Dravidian politics to the fore.

DMK chief M Karunanidhi and his party?s shipping minister in Delhi, TR Baalu, have vented fury over the UPA government?s placing a question mark over the Sethusamudram project in Tamil Nadu for three months, demanding ?rationality? and ?proof?. On Monday, Karunanidhi?s daughter?s home was vandalised by miscreants in Bangalore claiming to be Ram devotees, saying that Karunanidhi would now face their wrath. Not known for taking things lying down, he has now made strong references to how this shows what Ram devotees are all about.

Karunanidhi, locally known as ?King of the arts? (Kalaingar), began as a popular script-writer, and a major player in Tamil separatism. Apart from the ethnic underpinnings, there was a strong atheistic, anti-upper caste streak (with Brahmins being under 2% of the state) to the Dravida movement that captured the popular imagination there. Delhi?s attempts to establish Hindi in the state were seen as the north?s big-brother-ism. The anti-Hindi agitation even saw self-immolations, a frenzy that peaked in the late 1950s and early 1960s, even though the Congress government at the Centre continued to have representatives from the south.

But with the 1970s came a Dravida desire to broadbase its support, which resulted in moderation of the ?anti? kind of politics. MG Ramachandran, the filmstar who attained cult status through his revolutionary roles in Tamil movies, parted ways with Karunanidhi. MGR formed the AIADMK, leaving Karunanidhi with the DMK.

MGR?s death in the 1980s changed the scenario again, with a critical factor emerging in the shape of Jayalalithaa Jayaram, a Bangalore-born Brahmin, cine idol in her own right, and more than that, MGR?s confidante. Interestingly, she drew her political instincts less from purist Dravidian politics and more from a broader appeal that included all women and even upper-caste males. In response, the DMK too had to adopt new nuances.

Also, as the two rivals had aspirations to connect with a rising multi-party polity at the Centre, they both started opting for pragmatic silence on the existence of God and suchlike. They even started doing business with the BJP. In fact, the DMK has established a record by being a partner of whoever?s in power at the Centre since 1996!

But for how long can ideology be brushed aside? Not very, it would appear. Provoked by their dream project, Sethusamudram, aimed at directing more business to Chennai, being held in abeyance on account of its interference with people?s faith in a bridge having been built by Hanuman?s Vanar Sena from the Ramayana, the DMK has re-adopted its old rhetoric.

By taking on the Ram issue, the Dravida party seems to be returning to the rationalism it had long stopped projecting as its core. Only, this time, it is clear it is the imperative of a pet development project that has prompted this ?back to basics? move. It is unlikely that it marks a return to its radical old days. But how will its stance affect Jayalalithaa? She has already postponed a meeting with LK Advani this week.