Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha leader Vatal Nagaraj has said that the New Year Eve will be observed as ‘black day’ by his group in Hubballi in protest against the failure of successive governments in ensuring quantitative and qualitative development and progress of North Karnataka, Hyderabad Karnataka and Bombay Karnataka.
He demanded on Saturday that the government make best use of the winter session of the legislature to open a new chapter of development and progress of North Karnataka and address the issues of regional imbalance.
“The purpose for which the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha was established at the cost of Rs.400 crore has not been realised. Only winter sessions are being held there regularly,” he said. The Congress and the Opposition parties should focus their debate on the burning issues of North Karnataka.
Mr. Nagaraj said the government should advise its Ministers to camp at the soudha and make themselves accessible to the people of the region. At least four Ministers should be at the soudha for a few days every month, he said.
Mr. Nagaraj said the State government should adopt a resolution during the session seeking the Prime Minister’s intervention in the Mahadayi dispute so that the people of the region need not have to suffer again due to shortage of drinking water in summer. The police took Mr. Nagaraj and supporters into custody for staging a protest in front of the Soudha.
