Kannada organisations have told the district administration here that they will not participate in the Kannada Rajyotsava celebrations on November 1 if the government does not positively respond to their demands by October 15.
At a preparatory meeting on the Rajyotsava here on Monday, senior Kannada leader Raghavendra Joshi, Belagavi District Kannada Organisations Action Committee president Ashok Chandargi, and Leader of the Opposition in the Belagavi City Corporation council Ramesh Sontakki reiterated that it was up to the government to involve them in the programme.
The meeting was convened to convince the Kannada organisations against boycotting it.
The activists alleged that the Chief Minister had not fulfilled his promise of setting up a political affairs committee for the North Karnataka region under the chairmanship of H.K. Patil, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj; holding a special meeting on boundary issues in Belagavi; and considering their request to withdraw police cases on Kannada activists in connection with the violence in Yellur in July 2014. “Continued negligence have made the people of district feel orphaned and they find no reason to be part of the celebrations,” Mr. Joshi said. The committee said they would celebrate the occasion separately at the venue of the ongoing agitation of farmers in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office same day, which should not be construed as boycott of the State festival
However, veteran leader Siddangouda Patil said he was averse to a separate celebration of the Rajyotsava.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner N. Jayaram said he would take up their views with the government.
He made it clear that the government never granted funds to private organisations to celebrate the Rajyotsava.
