H D Kumaraswamy. (File Photo | EPS)
BENGALURU: In a bid to soothe hurt feelings after allegations that the current state government’s policies favoured the Southern part of Karnataka, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy will go on a six-day tour of districts in North Karnataka. The tour is scheduled to be held from September 10-15. The programme was revealed by Kumaraswamy ahead of the launch of Janata Darshana, at his official residence Krishna.
The tour, details of which are yet to be revealed, gains significance as the Chief Minister had not visited North Karnataka often in the first 100-days of his tenure, save a couple of times. Though he was to offer ‘Bagina’ at Almatti reservoir in Bagalkot district, unfavourable weather conditions had led to the cancellation of the visit.The state government was criticised of being biased to South Karnataka districts at the expense of North Karnataka soon after the budget presented by the new government in July, prompting some leaders to stoke the separate Statehood demand for a brief period.
Shifting of Karnataka State Highways Improvement Project office from Belagavi to Hassan too had added credence to the allegations.However, Kumaraswamy had downplayed the criticism arguing that his budget was balanced and the majority of farmers who would benefit from the waiver were from North Karnataka.
Kumaraswamy said that he will visit one district every week to review the development works taken up and would spend a day at Vidhana Soudha. But his flagship ‘Grama Vasthavya’ (overnight stay in a village) will not be held any time soon. “My doctors have not yet permitted me to hold Grama Vastavya. I will hold it if the doctors allow me,” he said.
Vikas Vedike threatens to lock Soudha gates
Belagavi: In the wake of coalition government’s failure to shift some important offices from Bengaluru to Suvarna Soudha despite massive dharnas staged by noted seers of North Karnataka and various other organisations in the past, Uttara Karnataka Vikas Vedike (UKVV), an organisation of several noted leaders, has decided to lock the gates of Suvarna Soudha in September last week, warning the government to fulfill their demands by then to avoid locking up of the soudha.
‘Struggle for separate state will continue’
Bengaluru: Alleging that regional disparity between north and south Karnataka has not been addressed even after 63 years of the state’s formation, Nagesh Golashetty, general secretary of Uttara Karnataka Horata Samiti, said that the struggle for a separate state will continue. “While the Chief Minister says that he will treat north Karnataka equally, his brother is shifting government offices from north Karnataka to the south,” he said.
