Demand for setting up Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Raichur grew louder as the IIT Horata Samithi, the conglomeration of different organisations, political parties, organisations and individuals, staged its second dharna near Mahatma Gandhi statue outside District Stadium here on Sunday.
After the proposal to set up an IIT in Karnataka was announced in the 2015-2016 Union Budget, there has been a vociferous demand to set up the IIT in Raichur. The agitating activists unanimously demanded the State government to send only one name, Raichur, in its proposal to Union Government for establishing the premier institute in the state.
While the BJP and JD-S legislators from Raichur took part in the dharna, Congress legislators were conspicuous by their absence.
Dr Shivaraj Patil and Manappa Vajjal, the two JD(S) MLAs representing Raichur and Lingasugur constituencies respectively, Tipparaj Hawaldar, the only BJP MLA in the district representing Raichur Rural constituency, Amarnath Patil, BJP MLC, Basangouda Byagwat and Mahantesh Patil Attanur, presidents of district units of BJP and JD(S) respectively and Basavaraj Kalasa, president of IIT Horata Samithi were among the prominent leaders participated in Sunday's agitation.
Congress party legislators, however, were conspicuous by their absence as none of the four MLAs Badarli Hampanagouda of Sindhanur, G Hampayya Sahukar Ballatagi of Manvi, Pratapgowda Patil of Maski and A Venkatesh Naik of Devadurga and two MLCs, N S Boseraju and Sharanappa Mattur, failed to show up in the pre-scheduled agitation.
Karnataka Rakshana Vedike leader Ashok Kumar Jain warned that his organisation would have to launch protests against the people's representatives who failed to participate in the agitation by burning their effigies.
Representatives of several organisations including Indian Medical Association, Raichur Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Jana Sangram Parishat, Hyderabad-Karnataka Horata Samithi, Dalit Sangharsha Samithi, Madiga Reservation Horata Samithi, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike and others, participated in the agitation.
