'Will Be Forced To Demand…': Congress MP Stokes Row With Budget Remark, Chidambaram Clarifies

DK Suresh alleged that the money mopped up from the south through taxes were being channeled to North Indian states.

Congress leader DK Suresh

Source : ANI

New Delhi: Claiming lack of any substantive takeaways for southern states from the interim Union Budget on Thursday, Congress MP from Bengaluru, DK Suresh said a demand for a “separate country” will soon be raised if the “injustice continues”.

Speaking to news agency ANI on Thursday, after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the interim Budget ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress leader alleged that the money mopped up from the south through taxes were being channeled to North Indian states.

“The Centre is not giving southern states their proper and legitimate share of the GST and direct taxes. The states down South are facing grave injustice. The money collected from the South (through taxes) is being given to North Indian states. If this continues, we will be forced to demand a separate country,” said Suresh, who also happens to be the younger brother of senior Congress leader and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.

Claiming that the South was getting a negligible share of “over Rs 4 crore” that is being collected from the region through taxes, the Congress MP added, “The Centre is getting over Rs 4 crore from us (through taxes) and what we are receiving in return is only a negligible share of what they are mopping up from the South. We must come out against this and question this government. If they (Centre) don’t rectify their mistake and go in for course correction, all southern states will have to raise their voices demanding a separate country.”

Playing down his brother’s statement, the Karnataka deputy CM said he was merely articulating the "pain of South India". “DK Suresh was only sharing the pain of South India. There has to be a balance (between North and South in terms of budgetary proposals and allotments). The entire country is one. You (Centre) cannot only look at the Hindi belt,” DK Shivakumar told ANI. 

#WATCH | Bengaluru: On Congress MP DK Suresh's statement, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar says, "DK Suresh or any other leader have spoken of the pain of South India... There has to be a balance. The entire country is one... You cannot only look at the Hindi belt... In this… https://t.co/p7tv8NZhLz pic.twitter.com/6OcnVQ5IrC

— ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2024

Picking out alleged holes in the Budget, he added, “This Budget doesn’t represent an equal distribution of finances. Karnataka contributes significantly in terms of revenue to the Centre. No major announcements were made for  South India. We feel let down. However, the country remains and will forever remain one. We are Indians and India should remain united. There is no question of raising a region-specific demand.”

Questioned on the Congress MP’s remark, senior leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram said, “There has never been a Congress policy or position to ask or demand for a separate country that I can deny. For the rest, you have to ask Mr. Suresh.”

#WATCH | On Congress MP DK Suresh's statement, Congress MP & former Union finance minister P Chidambaram says, "...It is not the policy of the Congress Party or the position of the Congress Party to ask for a separate country that I can deny. For the rest, you have to ask Mr… https://t.co/p7tv8NZhLz pic.twitter.com/z2JsyJcOWD

— ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2024

Taking a further swipe at the Centre over the interim Budget, the Congress leader claimed it was merely an exercise conducted with an eye on the upcoming elections, adding, “All they did was introduce some Sanskrit and Hindi names to schemes.”