New Delhi, Feb 2 (UNI) BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday slammed former Congress presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for their silence over their party MP DK Suresh’s controversial remarks.
He also sought Suresh’s resignation for the controversial remarks and said the Congress leader does not have any right to continue as an MP, especially at a time Rahul Gandhi is carrying out the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
“Sonia Gandhi and the Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge are silent on this issue. It is unfortunate. Congress and its leaders hurl abuses on our Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) that he is a dictator, will not allow elections.
“And (they) accuse us of violating the Constitution every day. They have not condemned this statement. One of the strong pillars of Karnataka (Suresh) is saying that Karnataka should be made another country.
“All the leaders of INDI Alliance are maintaining a conspicuous silence on this utterly shameful, irresponsible and unconstitutional comment of the Congress MP from Karnataka, DK Suresh,” he told reporters here.
“Suresh also doesn’t have the right to remain an MP even for a minute,” he added.
In the Rajya Sabha, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge affirmed the party’s commitment to national unity, declaring that his party would not tolerate any talk of breaking the country.
Congress MP from Karnataka D K Suresh on Thursday stoked the controversy by saying that the Narendra Modi government was denying the rightful share of funds to southern Indian states, and ”if this injustice is not corrected, we may have to demand a separate nation”.
Suresh, who is the brother of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, made the comment while reacting to the Interim Budget placed by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman earlier in the day.
“We are only demanding our rightful funds. The Centre is not properly giving the right share of GST and direct taxes to South Indian states. The Centre is giving the tax money accruing from southern states to North India. We (South India) are facing financial problems. If this injustice is not corrected, we may have to demand a separate nation,” he told reporters here.
“If we see how the money is distributed to various states in the country, it is clear that our states’ funds are being diverted to northern states. This is an injustice to us. The centre is getting over Rs 4 lakh crore from us and what we are getting in return is negligible. We have to question this. If this is not rectified, all south states have to raise our voices demanding separate nation,” the Congress MP said.
Hours after Suresh’s remarks, Congress had distanced itself from his comments, with party working committee member P Chidambaram saying “It is not the policy of the Congress party, or the position of the Congress party to ask for a separate country”.
Shivakumar has also said there is no question of dividing the country.
On Friday morning, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi raised the issue in Lok Sabha, demanding an apology and action from Sonia Gandhi, asserting that Suresh’s remarks violated his oath as an MP.
