Rijiju cites President, PM's home states to rebut Telangana CM's North-South remark

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday slammed Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for allegedly fuelling a North-South divide, urging him not to divide the country and asserting that everyone, irrespective of the region, is an Indian.

Rijiju was responding to a viral video in which Reddy claimed that people in South India do not want to live as "second-class citizens" despite their taxes allegedly being used to fund the development of northern states.

The Telangana Chief Minister had also accused the BJP-led Centre of neglecting the political interests of southern states and prioritising the North.

"The PM is from North India. The President is also from North India. This is because you (the BJP) do not have the strength to represent us," Reddy alleged while speaking at a media conference in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Rijiju fact-checked Reddy's remarks by pointing out the regions from which the President, Prime Minister and Vice-President hail.

"President is humble & devoted Tribal from Odisha, East India. Prime Minister is visionary & virtuous leader born in Gujarat, West India. Vice President is a simple soul from Tamil Nadu, South India," Rijiju wrote on X.

Reddy's remarks come against the backdrop of southern states repeatedly objecting to the BJP-led Centre's proposed delimitation exercise, which they argue could reduce their representation in Parliament.

Several leaders from the South have, in the past, also raised concerns that their states contribute a disproportionate share of tax revenue while receiving comparatively less in return.

HYDRAA-HITLER CONTROVERSY

At the same event, the Telangana Chief Minister triggered another political controversy after claiming that the name of the state's anti-encroachment agency was inspired by Adolf Hitler.

Reddy asserted that the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) derived its name and concept from the German dictator's alleged fondness for the word "Hydra".

"'Hydra' was Hitler's favourite word. His core team was called Hydra, which could assassinate anyone. So I took inspiration from Hitler and named it HYDRAA," Reddy said during an interaction at the event.

The remarks drew sharp criticism from opposition parties, including the BJP and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). Historians and experts were quick to point out that there is no documented evidence linking Hitler's inner circle or any Nazi organisation to the term 'Hydra'.

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