Raju Topannanavar, president of the Karnataka Nava Nirmana Pade, has pledged support to the demand for statehood for North Karnataka. “All parties that have ruled the State since reorganisation in 1956 have neglected North Karnataka. We are tired of seeking justice and equitable development. We are forced to seek a separate State,” he said in a release.
He said that pro-Kannada organisations in Bengaluru had no idea about the backwardness of the region and that they should not speak of emotional issues such as uniting on the basis of language. He also said that one of the prime reasons for the backwardness of the region was due to the indifference of elected representatives from the region. Mr. Topannanavar is the editor of the Kannada daily, Kannadamma, and serves as the district general secretary of the BJP.