Reacting to Karnataka Minister DK Suresh’s controversial statement about the possibility of demanding a separate nation, Union Minister Anurag Thakur emphasized that the BJP is committed to preventing any division within the country. Condemning Suresh’s remarks, Thakur expressed concern, stating, “Mohabbat Ki Dukan mein Nafrat Ka Saman bik raha hai (In the shop of love, things of hatred are being sold).” He asserted the BJP’s determination to safeguard the unity of the nation, declaring, “We will not let the country be divided. First, we saved the country from their loot, and now we will save the country from being divided.”
Opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, also strongly denounced any talks of dividing the country. Addressing the House, Kharge, the Congress national president, asserted, “From Kanyakumari to Kashmir, the country and its people are one and will remain so.” He made it clear that any individual advocating for the breakup of the country would not be tolerated, regardless of party affiliation, stating, “Anyone who speaks of breaking the country can’t be tolerated, regardless of which party he belongs to. Mallikarjun Kharge will be the first to say that from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, we are one and we will be so.”
The controversy originated when DK Suresh, a Lok Sabha MP from Bengaluru and the brother of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, claimed that the southern states were facing injustice as the Centre was collecting significant taxes from them but not allocating a fair share in return. Suresh warned that if this perceived injustice continued, there could be a demand for a separate nation. He argued, “If the government doesn’t go in for necessary course correction, all southern states will have to raise the demand for a separate country.”