New Delhi, 2 Feb

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday condemned the "separate country" remark of party MP DK Suresh.

"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 remain one," he said.

Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi demanded an apology from Congress leader Sonia Suresh’s demand for a separate nation comprising southern states by alleging bias in budgetary allocations.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in Parliament, Joshi said Congress member Suresh’s remarks were an insult to the Constitution and its architect Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Members of the opposition INDIA bloc, including the Congress and the DMK, were on their feet trying to make some point as Joshi made the statement in the House. They later walked out for a brief while.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla called the Opposition members to make their point after laying of parliamentary papers on the table of the House.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal also sought an apology from Congress, Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha when it met for the day, Goyal said the statement by D K Suresh, who is the brother of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, reflects the "divisive" thinking of Congress.

Goyal, who is the minister for commerce and industry, said even for fighting an election an oath of affirmation to the Constitution of India is required. After being elected, MPs have to take an oath of allegiance to the Constitution and that of upholding sovereignty and integrity of the country, he added.

Without naming Suresh, he said the statement cannot be ignored as it is an attack on the Constitution of India and an insult to the sovereignty and integrity of the country.