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
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 accused the BJP-led Centre of neglecting the political interests of southern states and prioritising the North. Read Full Story "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. The Telangana Chief Minister had also 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.
Just like his leader. Please do not try to divide the nation. We all are Indians. 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 pic.twitter.com/Di463EvoOH— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) June 7, 2026 Rijiju sought to fact-check Reddy's remarks by pointing out that the President, Prime Minister and Vice-President hail from eastern, western and southern India respectively, contradicting the Telangana Chief Minister's claim that the country's top posts are dominated by leaders from North India. "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".
The BriefWire