Make North K’taka separate state: MLA

A letter by Kagawad MLA Bharamagouda (Raju) Kage to chief minister Siddaramaiah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reignited a longstanding demand for separate statehood for the northern Karnataka region.

The letter by Kage, who also serves as chairman of the North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), was written on November 4 but made public on Tuesday, demands that the districts of Bidar, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Belagavi, Dharwad, Gadag, Koppal, Raichur, Uttara Kannada, Haveri. Vijayanagar, Ballari be combined to form a new state, citing persistent administrative neglect and an alleged “stepmotherly” treatment by the government.

“North Karnataka is rich with resources and has contributed immensely to the conservation of Kannada and to the unification of Karnataka,” Kage wrote

The demand, wrote Kage, was made keeping in mind “the sake of comprehensive development” in the region, adding that he was lending his support to the signature campaign launched almost a decade ago by the Uttara Karnataka Horata Samiti, which claims to have gathered over 10 million signatures in support for the demand.

According to Kage, the Samiti has already submitted memoranda to the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Governor of Karnataka, seeking their intervention.

He urged the chief minister to recommend the proposal to the Union government for consideration.

Kage’s push for regional autonomy follows his earlier criticism of the government’s inaction.

He had accused the administration of turning the legislative session into a “two-week excursion” and failing to communicate resolutions passed to the public.

Expressing frustration over the lack of progress, the legislator wrote that farmers affected by floods in North Karnataka were yet to receive compensation.

“Legislators hoped for grants and new work approvals but only ended up making requests with no outcome,” he wrote, announcing that he would forgo government allowances to protest what he described as ineffective governance.

The debate over regional imbalance in Karnataka is not new.

The late Umesh Katti, a minister from Belagavi, had also voiced support for statehood before his death, arguing that the state’s size and population warranted a division.

Kage, who has been elected to the Assembly nine times, echoed similar sentiments. Since his letter, regional groups such as the Uttara Karnataka Horata Samiti and Uttara Karnataka Vikas Vedike have warned that they would hoist the flag of a separate North Karnataka on the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha if their demands are not addressed during the upcoming winter session in Belagavi..

In his letter, Kage also drew comparisons with other large states in the country, noting that “Uttar Pradesh has a population of 21 crore and should be made into four states. Maharashtra has a population of 11 crore and should be made into three states. Similarly, Karnataka has a population of 6.5 crore. Against this backdrop, it should be divided into two states.”