BENGALURU: Bengaluru Rural Congress MP DK Suresh here on Sunday made a U-turn on his earlier statement on separate nationhood for southern states, which created an uproar and was also raised during the ongoing Parliament session. “People from BJP are twisting my statement. I never said this country should be divided. They are trying to do politics,” he said.
Suresh, the younger brother of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, was visibly perturbed when scores of BJP workers laid siege to his house at Sadashivanagar on Sunday, protesting against his statement. The police whisked away some of the workers and resorted to a lathicharge to bring the situation under control. As some of the workers were injured, BJP state president BY Vijayendra attacked the Congress government and held it responsible for the incident.
“BJP Yuva Morcha workers who were peacefully protesting outside the Bangalore residence of MP D K Suresh who raised the cry for a separate nation subjected to unnecessary lathicharge by the police resulting in serious injuries to the workers. It is a Congress government sponsored hooliganism. BJP will not tolerate anyone questioning the sovereignty of India and their actions, no matter how strong they are, until they repent,” he posted on ‘X’.
Later speaking to reporters, Suresh alleged that BJP is twisting his statement to gain political mileage. He told media persons, “I feel the media is the fourth pillar of democracy. But if it takes a side, I am helpless. My statement was clear, but BJP contorted it. I need not reply to them.”
No bar on protest, says Suresh on BJP workers’ stir
On BJP workers laying siege to his house, Suresh sarcastically said, “No one can be stopped from staging a protest and the government will extend its full cooperation. I will happily welcome it. God bless them.”
While replying to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s interim budget on Thursday, Suresh had said, “The tax money from South Indian states is being distributed to North India. If we do not condemn it, there might arise a situation where we will have to demand a separate southern nation.”
AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, who is the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, had stated that he will not tolerate any talk of dividing the country.
As the issue was not showing any signs of slowing down and with the Lok Sabha elections approaching fast, Suresh seems to have backed out from his statement.
On low allocation of funds to the state, the point that Suresh was trying to make, Congress MLAs, MLCs and the lone MP Suresh, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, are staging a protest in New Delhi on February 7.
