Scientific theories viewed the town-country antagonism as a hallmark of class society with capitalism intensifying the idiocy of rural life through isolation and exploitation. In India colonial rule disrupted pre-capitalist village communities imposing land revenue systems that facilitated primitive accumulation. Post-independence mixed economy policies prioritized urban-industrial development widening the divide. Neo-liberal reforms since 1991 accelerated uneven development bypassing classical agrarian transition and proletarianization.
The rural-urban divide represents a profound and enduring inequality, where rural areas – home to about 65% of the population- systematically subsidize urban prosperity through resource extraction, cheap food, migrant labour, while remaining deprived. This dynamic resembles internal colonialism, a concept where dominant urban centres exploit peripheral rural regions in a manner analogous to historical colonial extraction. The divide is also characterized by stark disparities in economic opportunities, political influence and access to health, education and life expectancy. These inequalities represent a structural, long-term system of internal colonization subsidizes urban prosperity through agricultural production, labour migration and resource transfers while enduring persistent deprivation.