Vatal Nagaraj, senior Kannada leader and president of Kannada Chaluvali-Vtal Paksha staged a demonstration in front of the Suverna Vidhana Soudha (SVS) demanding that both ruling Congress and Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (S) rise above politics and take best advantage of the winter session at Belagavi to address the issues and problems of the people of North Karnataka region.
He spread a bed-sheet and sat over it with an empty plate and an empty bowl symbolising the plight of the common man of the region to draw attention of the government and opposition parties and sensitise them to use the opportunity in the winter session to make a qualitative difference in the lives of people of the region.
Later, talking to presspersons for a while, he said alleged that none of the four legislature sessions held Belagavi served the purpose for which it was convened. The progress in irrigation schemes, road network, industrialisation and various other spheres of life was much less in north Karnataka when compared with those in the Southern Karnataka region. The continued regional imbalance, negligence and discrimination in disbursement of funds had kept the North Karnataka region underdeveloped.
He compared the lack of proper basic amenities, regular employment opportunities and poor pace of progress in the region with a hell like conditions.
Mr. Vatal said legislators of all parties should stop politicising people’s problems and waste precious time. Rather they should debate problems and issues specific to the north Karnataka threadbare and come out with concrete measures and implement them in time-bound manner so as to bridge the gaps in development and progress. It was high time that the both the ruling and opposition parties join hands and make common cause and come out with a comprehensive plan for expeditious development and progress of the region, he added.
Later, Mr.Vatal was arrested and released outside the SVS premises.
