Delivering the presidential address here on Wednesday, he said regional imbalance was one of the main reasons for seeking such a demand. Questioning the contribution of ministers and chief ministers to their respective constituencies, Prof Rao stressed the need for integrated development of the State. “There is a need to implement Dr D M Nanjundappa committee report at the earliest and there is a need to contemplate on providing special facilities for the needy regions,” he said.
Classical status
Expressing surprise at some litterateurs’ statement that Kannada will not suffer any loss if the language does not get classical status tag, Prof Rao said the fact that only Tamil and Sanskrit have got classical status is an insult to Kannada.
Referring to a statement by Tamil litterateur Iravathi Mahadevan’s book Early Tamil Epigraphy, he said the book throws light on influence of Kannada (halegannada) on Tamil-Brahmi script between second and fourth century BC. “It means Kannada existed in second century BC.”