Tejasvi Surya compares Andhra Pradesh-Telangana bifurcation to India-Pakistan partition, draws ire of Congress & BRS

K T Rama Rao noted that from Prime Minister Modi to MP Tejasvi Surya, the BJP leadership has consistently displayed a pattern of spewing venom against the statehood movement.

Hyderabad: Karnataka MP Tejasvi Surya came under attack from Congress and BRS leaders for his remarks on how Britishers did the partition of India and Pakistan, like the way Congress has performed the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana during his speech in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

Surya drew a comparison between the bifurcation of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and the partition of India and Pakistan.

“This analogy is not only factually untenable but also deeply insensitive and inappropriate in the context of parliamentary discourse. The formation of Telangana was the outcome of a democratic and constitutional process, reflecting the legitimate aspirations of its people. Equating this with the traumatic and violent partition of the nation diminishes the sanctity of that process and disregards the sentiments of the people of Telangana. Such comparisons are unnecessary and carry the risk of fostering regional discord, misrepresenting historical and constitutional realities, and undermining the spirit of unity and cooperative federalism that underpins our democracy,” said Telangana transport minister, Ponnam Prabhakar.

He urged the Lok Sabha speaker, Om Birla to order the expunction of the said remarks from the official records of the Lok Sabha. Direct Surya to tender an unconditional apology to the House and to the people of Telangana. Examine the matter under the applicable rules governing conduct and privilege, and initiate appropriate proceedings. “Consider suitable action, including disqualification from membership of the Lok Sabha, should the remarks be found to constitute a serious breach of privilege and parliamentary decorum,” he said.

Minister Ponnam Prabhakar later wrote to Telangana DGP B Shivarhar Reddy seeking action against Surya. 

Prabhakar has mentioned in the letter that action should be taken against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who made controversial remarks in Parliament comparing the bifurcation of Telangana to the India-Pakistan partition.

The minister stated that the formation of Telangana was the result of a democratic and constitutional process, reflecting the legitimate aspirations of the people here.

He further stated that comparing it to India’s painful and violent partition not only diminishes the sanctity of that process but also amounts to disregarding the sentiments of the people of Telangana.

Minister Ponnam Prabhakar remarked that such statements have the potential to damage public harmony, fuel regional conflicts, and distort historical and constitutional facts.

He urged the DGP to examine the matter and take appropriate action under the relevant provisions of the law, in order to prevent the spread of misinformation and to protect public peace and harmony.

BRS Working President K Taraka Rama Rao (KTR) has launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing the party of harboring deep-rooted animosity toward the state of Telangana. Reacting to remarks made in Parliament by MP Tejasvi Surya, KTR termed the comparison "utterly foolish" and a grave insult to the state's identity.

KTR emphasized that Telangana was not a "gift" or an act of charity from any political entity. Instead, he reminded the public that the state was the hard-won result of a decades-long democratic struggle and the supreme sacrifices of thousands of youth. He noted that from Prime Minister Modi to MP Tejasvi Surya, the BJP leadership has consistently displayed a pattern of spewing venom against the statehood movement.

Taking a sharp dig at local political representation, KTR characterized the silence of the eight BJP MPs and various Congress MPs from Telangana during the parliamentary session as "shameful". He accused these representatives of mortgaging Telangana's self-respect in Delhi for political gain rather than defending the dignity of the people who elected them.

KTR demanded an unconditional apology from both Tejasvi Surya and the BJP leadership. He warned that the people of Telangana are closely monitoring these insults and that failure to issue a retraction would confirm that Surya’s remarks reflect the BJP's official "anti-Telangana" policy.

Telangana Jagruthi founder, former MLC K Kavitha asked, "How Dare You, Tejasvi?"

In a social media post Kavitha said “You are not only insulting all those who fought for Telangana over six decades to fulfill the region's aspirations and end the discrimination we faced, but you are also dishonoring the memory of the thousands of individuals who sacrificed their lives to make Telangana a reality,” Tagging eight MPs from Telangana Kavitha further said “Speak Up or Resign. You don’t deserve to represent people of Telangana if you cannot uphold the sanctity of our emotions".