Congress MP from Karnataka D.K. Suresh Kumar’s controversial remark that the Southern states would be compelled to demand for a “separate nationhood” if the Centre continued to “neglect” them has drawn strong criticism from the ruling BJP both inside and outside of the Parliament.
A day after the Bengaluru Rural MP claimed “injustice” to the southern states in fund allocation (devolution of taxes) by the Centre, in his response to the Union Budget, the BJP members raised the issue in both Houses of the Parliament and demanded the Congress party to take action against its member for his “separatist” remarks or clarify its stand on the issue.
On Friday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi demanded to know the Congress’s stand on the issue. “The member has demanded for a separate nationhood for South India. But I would like to clarify, as I am also from South India, (MEA) Jaishankar ji is from the South, that we believe in the unity and sovereignty of India. I urge Sonia Gandhi to apologise and take action against her party member. This is a breach of oath taken by each one of us as a member of this House. It is also an insult to the Constitution framed by Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar. I urge the Speaker to refer the issue to the Ethics Committee. If Congress fails to take action, we will be convinced, like the rest of the country, that the Congress wants to divide the country,” said Joshi.
Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal said the leader of the opposition Mallikarjun Kharge not condemning the statement showed clearly that the Congress party was not entirely against such a view.
“LoP has not condemned the statement of the MP, who is the brother of the deputy chief minister of Karnataka. This clearly shows that the Congress party is not entirely against such a view. In some sense, it is important that the LoP, who is also the president of the Congress party, should apologise to the nation and also condemn the views of the member as 140 crore people of India are feeling outraged by these comments and the divisive thought of the Congress party,” said Goyal.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said her concern was the “separatist language” used by a member of Lok Sabha. “I am in shock that instead of outrightly condemning the statement, they (Opposition) are lecturing us on technicalities in the Constitution (on the issue of government formation in Jharkhand following Hemant Soren’s arrest). What can be more important than the issue of the country’s unity? We need to address the question of whether this country can be divided over the wishful thinking of a Lok Sabha MP,” she added.
It may be recalled that Suresh, on Thursday, had claimed that the taxes collected in the southern states were being distributed to north Indian states and Karnataka, like rest of the southern states, was not getting its rightful share (devolution of taxes).
“It is enough if the Centre gives Karnataka its due share of money. We are suffering due to (fiscal) injustice. The Centre is collecting around Rs 4 lakh crore as taxes from Karnataka. But how much are we getting back (as funds)? We must question this injustice as the 16th Finance Commission will be starting now. If this is not rectified, the southern states will have to raise their voice and perhaps, a demand for a separate nationhood too will become inevitable. The Hindi-speaking regions are compelling us to do so,” Suresh had claimed.
KPCC chief and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar defended his younger brother and said, “He has only expressed people’s views as they are feeling the Centre is neglecting us (Karnataka). I believe in Akhanda Bharat and one India. We believe that the last village in our state too should get justice like the Hindi-speaking belt.”
State Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil said that the Centre should give the states its rightful share. “In a federal system, the Centre should come to the rescue of the states during times of crisis to build trust and confidence among the states. Else, they will be forced to question you,” added Patil.
The state BJP leaders said it was ironic that the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was embarking on “Bharat Jodo Yatra” and the state Congress leaders were chanting “Bharat Todo”.
BJP National General Secretary C.T. Ravi said the partition had come through after the tripartite agreement signed by the Indian National Congress, Muslim League and the British, and the Congress continues to suffer from the same “divisive” mindset. “Congress has been trying to divide the Hindus based on caste. Now, they want to divide the nation by creating the North-South divide. Going by Congress’s logic, Bengaluru generates 70 pc of the revenue (taxes) for the state. So, the government should not spend it on Ballari, Kalaburgi or Kanakapura. The Congress should come out of this divisive mindset,” said Ravi.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who neither endorsed Suresh’s remarks nor condemned them, reminded the Centre that the states should be given their rightful share of resources (funds). “I am for unity of India. The Centre should ensure equitable distribution of the resources.”
