A video of TDP MP M Muralimohan triggered off a row, after the actor-politician was seen saying that the day would soon come, when south India would declare itself as a separate country.
“There is a feeling in the south that it is being neglected. Don’t force the five south Indian states to declare freedom as a separate country,” Muralimohan was seen saying in the video.
According to reports, the video surfaced from a press conference that was held in Rajahmundry on February 12 but went viral after two TDP ministers at the Centre resigned from the cabinet of the BJP-led Central government.
'We 5 southern states of India will take firm decision to form seperate Country' says TDP MP Murali mohan from Andhra...@ncbn ru listening do u endorse this, if not then expel him... shame pic.twitter.com/4IlqYkTmVm
— Karunasagar Adv (@karunasagarllb) February 14, 2018
@PMOIndia @rajnathsingh @RakeshSinha01 @rohitsardana @sudhirchaudhary I want this mla #Muralimohan behind bars for his separatists comment....
— prabhat (@prabhatsaharan1) March 8, 2018
Stop the entire package to AP. Chandra Babu Naidu must have control on what he speaks. This is unacceptable. https://t.co/WHaZFS03CF
— Jiggs (@Sootradhar) March 8, 2018
Film stars! What do you expect? Logic or sense? LOLLL!https://t.co/hNwqdZi9DT
— Nandakishore-డ, N (@AcerbicallyUrs) March 8, 2018
@rajnathsingh Please take serious note of this #TDPMP utterances. As a first step, #CMRamesh should have his Parliamentary privileges, security and passport suspended immediately. #ZeroToleranceToSedition
— VijayWriter (@VijayWriter) March 8, 2018
Absolute nonsense @ncbn , what is this man #Muralimohan talking on division of nation. Has he lost brain... how can any one support such views. Asking for special status, I accept. But this seems to be ridiculous talk. @narendramodi https://t.co/IDkvbpYYsl
— Surya (@KEYESEN2000) March 8, 2018
What is this nonsense Muralimohan
— Ramesh B Meka (@ramesh19_197) March 8, 2018
@ncbn sir is this your party stand as well? Pls clarify whether you also support what Mr.Murali Mohan suggested. You have not only lost a party admirer but also a die hard voter of TDP.
— vamsi Jatla (@phnxvj5) March 8, 2018
Don't you all have any sense. With immense man power we still talk about poverty. Seeking special status is a drama. Then all states will start seeking.
— Indian (@ZThunderBolt) March 8, 2018
“We are contributing more to the Central pool in the form of taxes than any other state barring Maharashtra. Then why is the Union Government treating us in a step-motherly manner. We are being treated in an inhuman way in all aspects...Now, if the mindset of the Union Government does not change, all southern states might have to come together to form a separate entity,” the MP was quoted as saying
The comments did not go down well among users on social media, many of whom questioned the MP's opinion on the issue.
Some users even demanded that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu spell out his stand and publicly say if he agreed with his party leader's comments.
Just last month, actor-politician Pawan Kalyan questioned the population based formula for sharing tax revenues between states and asked if the Centre was going to use the 'success of south Indian states' against their own interests.
In January last year, Pawan had told a news channel that “The north-south divide is not between people but political class. Same rule has to be applied all over.”
“What we all in southern India feel that there is a political elite class of Delhi who want to run the entire country, having majority in Uttar Pradesh. People are rebelling against that thought,” he added.
He had also said that disrespect to 'sub-national identity' in a country like India, would create a fertile breeding grounds for separatist movements.