Veteran journalist and president of Karnatak Vidyavardhak Sangha Patil Puttappa has said that the “failure” of the elected representatives of North Karnataka in raising development issues in the legislature had cost the region dearly.
Addressing presspersons here on Tuesday, Mr. Puttappa said as over 100 legislators of North Karnataka have remained tight-lipped over the injustice to the region in both Houses of the legislature, the demand for separate statehood was getting louder. Despite having won from the region, they have forgotten their prime duty of working for its development. North Karnataka has remained backward despite several decades after the unification of the State, he alleged.
Mr. Puttappa said a collective effort by North Karnataka legislators could pressurise the government to focus on the development issue, but the truth was that such an effort was lacking.
However, Mr. Puttappa said that seeking separate statehood was no solution to mitigate the injustice although it was true that successive governments had neglected the region. “The bandh call on August 2 for separate statehood will serve no purpose. Instead, the public will be put to hardship,” he said, making an appeal to all Kannadigas not to support the bandh call but to take up a struggle for getting justice to North Karnataka.
Recalling the history of the 129-year-old Karnatak Vidyavardhak Sangha, which sowed the seed of unification of Karnatka, he said the sangha had always raised its voice on issues concerning land, water, Kannada, and Kannadigas. Mr. Puttappa pointed out that people in Old Mysore region were opposed to the unification struggle and wanted to remain in Mysuru state. “They never developed love and pride for Karnataka. And even now, the State government continues to be confined to old Mysore region and it is like a Mysuru government,” he said. Warning the government not to take the voices of dissent lightly, the veteran journalist said that before the angst reached a boiling point, corrective steps should be taken.
Legislators’ meet
The sangha has planned to hold a legislators’ meet soon and it wants the Chief Minister to chair the meeting.
Mr. Puttappa said he would invite all legislators of the region to attend the meeting, which will discuss in detail plans for comprehensive development of North Karnataka.
