Bangalore Rural Congress MP DK Suresh has found himself in the middle of a controversy following his comments on the interim budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday, February 1. Stating that the Union government was not giving the due share of GST amount to southern states, Suresh urged the southern states to demand a separate nation if the situation persists.
“The southern states are facing injustice. The money collected from southern states is being given to northern states. If this continues, we will be forced to demand a separate country. The Union government is getting over Rs 4 lakh crore from us and what we are getting in return is negligible. We have to question this. All southern states have to raise their voices demanding a separate nation if there is no course correction," ANI quoted him saying. He also said that the interim budget has nothing but a few names in Hindi and Sanskrit.
Karnataka Opposition leader R Ashoka said, “On one hand Rahul Gandhi is carrying out Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and on the other hand MP and KPCC chief DK Shivakumar's brother is calling for Bharat todo (divide India). This is the same mind set of Congress that led to Partition.”
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that even though Karnataka contributes a sizable revenue to the Union government, no major announcement was made for the state. However, he added that there is no question of demanding money for specific regions. “In this budget, there is no equal distribution of finances. We feel like we have been let down. But the entire country is one. We are Indians. India should be united. There is no question of demanding anything region-wise. You cannot only look at the Hindi belt,” he added.
Karnataka Law Minister HK Patil said that DK Suresh’s comments were because the Union government has not paid attention to the situation in Karnataka. “The state is under drought. Not even a single penny has been released for Karnataka. This will not enhance the credibility of the government," he said.
(With inputs from IANS)