The attempt to hoist a separate Statehood flag of Hyderabad Karnataka by members of the Hyderabad Karnataka Yuva Horata Samiti and few other organisations in Gulbarga city was foiled by the police.
The members, led by Raju Kulageri and M.S. Patil Naribol, were stopped by police personnel near the Sardar Vallabhai Patel Chowk and prevented from hoisting a red flag bearing the map of the Hyderabad-Karnataka region. They were detained by the police, who quickly whisked them away to district police headquarters.
Earlier, Dr. Kulageri and the other members walked from the Institute of Engineers Auditorium and proceeded towards the statue of Sardar Vallabhai Patel waving flags. They also raised slogans against the State government for neglecting the region and failing to remove the “backward” tag attached to the region.
ADVERTISEMENT
Speaking after offering floral tributes to the portrait of Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, as part of Rajyotsava celebrations, Municipal Administration and Waqf Minister Qamarul Islam, said that many people had made sacrifices for the unification of all Kannada-speaking areas in Mysore region. He also said that the government was taking efforts for the development of Hyderabad-Karnataka region, which was merged from the erstwhile Hyderabad state.
He said that the Kannada-speaking population had waited for 391 years for unification after the fall of the Vijayanagara empire, which had united all Kannada-speaking areas. He added that Karnataka has a wider meaning, as it represents the culture of the people of the State and Kannada speakers. .
Mr. Islam said that Article 371 (J) of the Constitution, which provides special status to Hyderabad-Karnataka region, would help set right regional imbalances. The students of Hyderabad-Karnataka region were the first to enjoy reservation under Article 371 (J) and as against the normal admission of around 120 students in medical colleges under government seats all these years, 304 students from the region got admission in various medical seats this year.
ADVERTISEMENT
The government was making efforts for extending reservation in employment to people from the region, besides implementing development projects under the Hyderabad Karnataka Regional Development Board, he added.