Karnataka - Gulbarga   

Chief Minister urged to act on special status promise

GULBARGA: President of the Kannada Sene K.R. Kumar charged the State Government of failing to pressure the Union Government to concede the long pending demand of the State for the amendment of Article 371 of the Constitution to provide reservation in employment and education to the people of the Hyderabad-Karnataka region.

Addressing presspersons here on Saturday, Mr. Kumar said that Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, who had assured the people of the State that he would stage a dharna in front of Parliament if the Centre failed to amend Article 371 a few months ago, appeared to have forgotten this promise.

Mr. Kumar said that the Sene would launch a protest campaign in Bangalore on November 10 and submit a memorandum to the Chief Minister urging him to take up the issue more effectively with the Centre and get Article 371 of the Constitution amended.

The sene also plans to write to all the MLAs and MPs to discharge their duties properly and bring pressure on the State and Union governments to concede to the demand. Mr. Kumar said that the Chief Minister should lead an all- party delegation to pressure New Delhi for the amendment in December.

If the Chief Minister failed to do so, all Kannada organisations in the State would join hands and lead a delegation of the senior writers, intellectuals and leaders to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the last week of December and press for the amendment, he said.

“This time, the agitation of the Kannada organisations in New Delhi would be conclusive and we would not return to Karnataka without the amendment of Article 371,” Mr Kumar declared.

A meeting of all Kannada organisations would be convened shortly, he said.

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