Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday disapproved of the demand by some southern states for a greater share in the central devolution of funds and described it as a “new narrative to break the nation”.

Hours after Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah held a protest with his cabinet colleagues, party MLAs and MPs in the national capital against “financial injustice” to the state, Modi told the Rajya Sabha that the states needed to overcome considerations like “our tax” and “our money” and cooperate for a holistic and integrated development of the country.

Modi was speaking on the motion of thanks to the President’s address.

“New narratives are being created to break the country for political interests. One government has entered the field and speaks this kind of language. This is unfortunate,” Modi said.

He said it was the responsibility of the Centre to ensure that every corner of the country and every family got the fruits of development while giving every state its
due share.

“The nation for us is not a piece of land. It is a unit that inspires us. It is like our body. If a pin causes pain in the leg, the hand immediately goes to remove it. If there is pain in any part of the country, everybody should feel the pain. If any part of the body does not work, the whole body will be considered defunct. If any part of the nation lags in development, the nation cannot progress. That is why we need to consider India as a unit, not as fragments,” Modi said.

He said if a youth of Jharkhand wins an Olympic medal, the country would say he belonged to the nation. “Can we think that the vaccine was developed in that corner of the country so the entire country should not get it? And such a thought is emerging from a national party. It is very sad,” he said.

Modi said if the coal-bearing states hesitated to provide coal to other states, the country would suffer. If the eastern states had not provided oxygen during the Covid pandemic, people in other states would have faced a crisis. “What is this language ‘our tax’, ‘our money’? This will endanger the country in future...,” he said.