Hyderabad: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Tejasvi Surya’s remarks on the way Congress has performed the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, like the Britishers did the partition of India and Pakistan, have drawn sharp criticism from both the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Telangana Congress leaders.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha in support of the Delimitation Bill 2026 tabled on Thursday, April 16, Surya criticised the Congress for being the “practitioners of politics of postponement.”
He was arguing against the ‘hybrid model’ being proposed by Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for the delimitation and increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats.
Terming Revanth Reddy’s proposal “the most foolish argument,” Surya said it is unconstitutional as it violates the one man, one vote, one value principle, which the Constitution promises.
“GSDP won’t remain constant in any state. Every six months, it changes. For example, if Telangana has a good monsoon in a year and its GSDP goes high, should it be given more seats for that term, and if Andhra Pradesh has a drought year and its GSDP goes down, should its seats be reduced?” he asked, calling Revanth Reddy’s argument “laughable.”
Though he intended to attack the Congress, Surya’s remarks didn’t go well with the leaders back in Telangana.
BJP has a consistent pattern of spewing venom against Telangana: KTR
Reacting to the comments, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K T Rama Rao (KTR) accused the BJP of harbouring “deep-rooted animosity” toward the state of Telangana.
Terming the comparison “utterly foolish” KTR said the comments are a “grave insult to the state’s identity.”
“Telangana was not a ‘gift’ or an act of charity from any political entity. The state is the hard-won result of a decades-long democratic struggle and the supreme sacrifices of thousands of youth. From Prime Minister Modi to MP Tejasvi Surya, the BJP leadership has consistently displayed a pattern of spewing venom against the statehood movement.” he stated in a release.
He also made a sharp dig at Telangana’s BJP and Congress MPs and accused them of “mortgaging Telangana’s self-respect in Delhi for political gain” rather than defending the dignity of the people who elected them.
An insult to dignity, identity, and self-respect: Harish Rao
BRS MLA T Harish Rao termed the BJP MP’s remarks as “highly insensitive and irresponsible,” and stated that the former’s comparison of the formation of Telangana state with the creation of Pakistan was not only factually incorrect, but also deeply hurtful to the sentiments of nearly four crore people of Telangana.
Calling Tejasvi’s remark a direct insult to the dignity, identity, and self-respect of the people of Telangana, Harish Rao felt that it also exposed a disturbing mindset within sections of the BJP leadership that seeks to belittle regional movements and create divisions for political gain.
Both BRS leaders have demanded an immediate and unconditional apology from Tejasvi Surya and the BJP, saying the people of Telangana are closely monitoring these insults and failure to issue a retraction will confirm that Surya’s remarks reflect the BJP’s official ‘anti-Telangana’ policy.
Minister Ponnam Prabhakar demands Tejasvi Surya’s expulsion
Congress leaders also came forward to condemn Surya’s comments and demanded the MP’s immediate expulsion. Telangana BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar questioned what right did “a mindless and foolish person” like Tejasvi Surya have to compare the bifurcation of the Telugu states with the partition of India and Pakistan.
He demanded that the Speaker of the Lok Sabha immediately expel Surya from the membership in Parliament, and his remarks be expunged from the Lok Sabha’s records. He also demanded that the BJP leadership in Telangana either condemn what he said or be prepared to be seen as “fools.”
“If he criticised our chief minister’s hybrid model for delimitation, he could do so because he had the right. But he has no right to insult Telangana’s statehood, which was achieved through the lives sacrificed by many activists,” Ponnam said.
Questioning the stand of BJP’s union ministers G Kishan Reddy, Bandi Sanjay, BJP MP Dr K Laxman, and BJP State President N Ramchander Rao on Tejasvi Surya’s remarks, and why they were being silent when the ‘Telangana Thalli’ was being insulted in such a way, Ponnam warned that Telangana activists and the families of the martyrs, and the people will teach the BJP a fitting lesson.
He said he will be writing to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha about the “insult to democracy, constitution and the formation of Telangana” by Tejasvi Surya seeking his expulsion from the Lok Sabha proceedings.
Congress leaders burn Tejasvi Surya’s effigy
An effigy of the BJP MP was burnt by Congress workers under the leadership of Khairatabad District Congress Committee (DCC) President Motha Rohit Mudiraj. He then went on to warn that BJP leaders will not be allowed to “set foot in Telangana”.
Peddapalli MP Gaddam Vamsi Krishna also condemned the comments while speaking to the media outside the Parliament. “Tejasvi Surya is speaking irresponsibly. What is the Bill introduced in the House, and what are the statements he is making?” he said.
“It is shameful that BJP MPs from Telangana are not even in a position to object while Tejasvi Surya is speaking,” he added.
BJP’s repeated remarks against bifurcation of AP and Telangana
The reason for the backlash was not the proposed delimitation either. It was the repeated mention of the bifurcation of the undivided Andhra Pradesh by the BJP’s top brass in a negative way which has angered not only the political leaders but also the masses in Telangana.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had openly stated on the floor of Parliament in the past that the bifurcation was done behind “closed doors” and “mother (AP) was killed to save the baby (Telangana)” by the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government led by the Congress.
At the time, hue and cry was raised against the prime minister’s remarks.
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