Demand for statehood for north Karnataka likely to grow

The issue of statehood for north Karnataka has sparked off a debate in political circles and among cross sections of the people in the region, while the possibility of the demand growing in the days to come is not being ruled out now.

Those who spoke for a separate State, so far, are Bharatiya Janata Party’s Umesh V. Katti, and Congress leaders Basavaraj Rayareddy, Malikayya Guttedar, and A.S. Patil Nadahalli, all MLAs.

Mr. Patil even threatened to raise the issue on the floor of the legislature if the government continued to neglect the development of the region.

Their demand could not evoke any popular support as of now, even as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has rejected it straight away.

However, the government could not turn a blind eye to the reasons that have been prompting at least a section of people to raise such a demand. It was the Congress government headed by Chief Minister S.M. Krishna, who took cognisance of the regional imbalances and appointed a high-powered committee under economist D.M. Nanjundappa to identify areas for growth and progress to bring the region at par with the developed areas in south Karnataka. His recommendations are yet to be fully implemented.

Kore’s stand

Prabhakar Kore, Rajya Sabha member and chairman of KLE Society, is the latest to speak in support of the demand. At a meeting of MPs, MLAs, MLCs and professionals here on Friday, Mr. Kore held out a veiled threat that it would become inevitable to make common cause with those demanding a separate State, if the government remained adamant against proposing Belagavi for setting up an Indian Institute of Technology.

“We wanted a health university in Belagavi, but it was denied. Even when the government decided to establish the State’s first technological university in the name of Sir M. Visvesvaraya, it was meant for Mysuru. But, we fought and got it for Belagavi. The government has once again ignored Belagavi and did not consider as one of the potential locations for IIT,” he said.

However, it remains to be seen whether the Siddaramaiah government would also recommend Belagavi along with Mysuru, Raichur and Hubballi-Dharwad for setting up the IIT.

Political leaders say the government is neglecting the development of the region