In a sharp attack on his own party's government, Congress MLA Raju Kage has raised the issue of chronic neglect and discriminatory treatment of North Karnataka. The region continues to suffer, due to which a separate North Karnataka state is the only lasting solution, Kage said during the winter session of the assembly at Belagavi.
The setting itself added weight to his remarks. The Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi, a replica of the Bengaluru Vidhana Soudha, was built in the interstate border district several years ago after a similar chorus of demands from citizens and MLAs came, arguing that North Karnataka was being ignored.
The idea behind building a full-fledged secretariat in Belagavi was to ensure that assembly sessions held there would bring greater focus to issues of the region, while making ministers and senior officials more accessible to the people of North Karnataka.
Yet, raising the same concerns inside the very building meant to symbolise regional equity, Kage said little had changed on the ground. Pointing to poor administration and delays, he said even basic development work in his constituency were taking unreasonably long.
"For one work to be completed in my constituency, it is taking two to four years. Even for a simple change of work, getting files moved from the district administration to Bengaluru and approved is taking nearly two years. Some projects we have taken up now look like they will only be completed when the next MLA comes. This is the situation we are facing."
He accused successive governments of partiality towards North Karnataka, using a local idiom to describe the disparity: "Why is there such partiality in the treatment of North Karnataka? It's like you pour lime in one person's eyes and butter in another's. What wrong have the people of North Karnataka committed?"
Reiterating his long-standing stand, Kage said he would continue to fight for a separate North Karnataka state, regardless of opposition.
"This is why I have demanded a separate state. Even if all 224 MLAs or any organisation oppose it, I will continue to demand a separate North Karnataka state. Till my last breath, I will fight for this. We are facing so many problems, whom should we tell?"
Kage's remarks are expected to intensify debate within the Congress, as criticism of the government's handling of regional development has now come from one of its own MLAs and on a platform created precisely to address those very concerns.
