Chaotic scenes erupted over Congress MP D.K Suresh’s remark of “separate nation for southern states”. It stirred up a hornet’s nest immediately and continues to rock the Lok Sabha proceedings on Friday. Congress party chief Mallikarjun Kharge has said that the Congress won’t tolerate such statements as BJP leaders sought strict action against the concerned MP.
“If anyone speaks about breaking the country, we will never tolerate it irrespective of whichever party they belong to. Mallikarjun Kharge will himself say that from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, we are one and we will be one,” the Congress chief said in an emphatic statement in Parliament.
MP Offers Clarification For His Remark
Calling himself a ‘proud Indian’, Karnataka Congress chief and deputy Chief Minister D.K Shivakumar’s brother, MP D.K Suresh, on Friday issued a clarification for his “separate country for South India”. He said his remark was made to bring to notice the “injustice in funds distribution” by the BJP-led central government.
The Bangalore Rural MP said the injustice is meted out to the southern states in tax distribution while the tax money is distributed to states in north India.
“Our tax money is being distributed to north India. If we don’t condemn it, there might arise a situation where we will have to demand for a separate nation,” D.K Suresh said while responding to a question on the Interim Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday. The statement instantly invited severe criticism from the BJP and from citizens across the country.
Reactions From Party Leaders And Representatives
The BJP hit out at the Congress for “hatching a dangerous plot to partition India yet again.”
“Faced with constant rejection by Indians, Congress is now seeding secessionism. Following Nehru’s legacy, Karnataka Deputy CM @DKShivakumar’s brother, @DKSureshINC demands a separate country,” the BJP attacked the Congress MP on X.
Union Minister for Mine, Coal and Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi, condemned Suresh’s remark and said, “I, too, hail from South India, and I, along with my colleagues from the region, believe in India’s unity. We condemn such remarks. I urge Sonia Gandhi to issue an apology and take action against the MP. Congress should take action. If they don’t, the country will believe that you too are involved in ‘tukde tukde’ of the country.”
Joshi’s remark in Parliament has drawn a strong reaction from Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. “First, he raised an issue which has nothing to do with the house. It was not a statement which was made in the house. Secondly, he did so based on media reports which have not been verified. Neither of those is admissible in the house… Why was the minister allowed to misuse the time of the house in this manner?” he questioned.
Bengali