Activists demand statehood for North Karnataka to become prosperous

Members of various organisations in Vijayapura have demanded the creation of a North Karnataka state saying that successive governments have neglected the region and the only way for it to achieve prosperity is by attaining statehood.

This comes a week after Congress MLA Raju Kage writing a letter to the Union government seeking statehood for North Karnataka.

Leader of Uttara Karnataka Horata Samiti Nagesh Golashetti said that the demand for statehood does not amount to division of the State. A new State is necessary for the self-esteem, independence and self-reliance of all sections of people in the region, he said.

“We are not dividing the country. This is not partition. We are only asserting our rights. The former Minister Umesh Katti kept demanding statehood for North Karnataka. Even leaders like Raju Kage are in support of this demand. Earlier, MP Ramesh Jigajinagi wrote a letter to the Governor demanding statehood for North Karnataka. For decades, huge injustice has been done to North Karnataka by the successive governments,” he said.

“The region is resource rich. But they are underutilised. Governments have neglected irrigation in the Krishna Basin but they are focused on the Cauvery, though the Krishna is three times bigger than the Cauvery,” he said.

After liberalisation, governments focused on growth of IT and BT in Bengaluru, but tier two cities, including those in North Karnataka, have remained neglected, he said.

“The people of North Karnataka fought an endless struggle for unification but today, the people of South Karnataka are following a step-motherly policy against us. None of our demands have been fulfilled by any government. We have been demanding promotion of IT and BT and investment by multinational companies in North Karnataka but in vain,” he said.

“Our committee has collected over one crore signatures from the people of North Karnataka in the last decade. We will continue to fight for it,” he said.

Mr. Golashetti was joined by leaders of various organisations.