Karnataka - Gulbarga   

Yeddyurappa miffed over Centre’s apathy

B.S. Yeddyurappa

GULBARGA: Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa today accused the Central Government of deliberately rejecting the genuine demands of the State, like the establishment of a unit of National Security Guards in Bangalore and sanctioning an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Karnataka. He warned that the State would not tolerate such step-motherly treatment any longer.

Speaking to presspersons before leaving for Bangalore, Mr. Yeddyurappa threatened to take the two issues before the people of the State and launch an agitation against the Central Government if it continued with the same attitude.Mr. Yeddyurappa said he could not understand the logic behind the rejection of the demand for the establishment of a NSG unit in Bangalore, which is one of the prime targets of terrorists. “Mere warnings based on intelligence inputs about possible terrorist attacks in Bangalore by the Centre are not enough. These warnings should be backed by strong support like the establishment of a NSG unit here,” he said.

The Chief Minister said that on the one hand Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during his meeting prior to the meeting of Chief Ministers on Tuesday in New Delhi, had asked him to raise the demand for establishment of the NSG unit in Bangalore. But when the demand was raised at the meeting there was no concrete assurance from the Centre.

To a question, Mr. Yeddyurappa said that he had also raised the long-pending demand of an amendment to Article 371 of the Constitution to provide special reservation in education and employment opportunities to the backward Hyderabad Karnataka region at the meeting with the Prime Minister. But he had not responded positively to the demand.

He said the issues would be discussed at the January 16 Assembly session in Belgaum. He added that the State Government, in consultation with the Opposition, would decide on whether to lead another all-party delegation to meet the Central leaders for the amendment of Article 371 of the Constitution and demanding an IIT in Karnataka.

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