Alleging injustice and neglect, Congress MLA Raju Kage demands statehood for North Karnataka region

Renewing the decades-old demand, Kage has written to the President and the Prime Minister; says he has supported the signature campaign started by the North Karnataka Struggle Committee for a separate State

Alleging that North Karnataka has faced injustice, discrimination and neglect in every sector, Congress MLA Bharamgouda (Raju) Kage has written to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding separate statehood for 15 districts of the region.

Renewing the decades-old demand of the people of North Karnataka, Kage, MLA for Kagwad, said he supported the signature campaign started by the North Karnataka Struggle Committee for a separate State.

“I would like to express my strong demand for the creation of a new State comprising 15 districts of North Karnataka — Bidar, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Yadgir, Bagalkot, Belagavi, Dharwad, Gadag, Koppal, Raichur, Uttara Kannada, Haveri, Vijayanagara, Ballari, and Davangere — for administrative convenience and holistic development,” Kage wrote in the letter to Murmu, Modi and Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot.

The letter written to Congress MLA Bharamgouda (Raju) Kage to President Droupadi Murmu. 

The MLA’s office released the letter, dated November 4, on Wednesday.

Kage, who is chairman of North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation, had earlier publicly criticised the State government and threatened to quit the membership of Karnataka Legislative Assembly complaining about lack of development and paucity of funds.

In September, he had also said that there was nothing wrong in seeking separate statehood for North Karnataka region as Kittur Karnataka region, barring a few places, was not developed like Kalyana Karnataka region which has special status under Article 371(J) of the Constitution.

According to Kage, since the unification of Karnataka, this region has continuously faced injustice, discrimination, and neglect in every sector.

“The formation of a separate State will give birth to another proud Kannada-speaking State, which will be a matter of great pride for us. North Karnataka is a region rich in all kinds of resources and has made a significant contribution to the preservation of the Kannada language and the unification of Karnataka,” he said.

Extending support to the signature campaign of the representatives of the North Karnataka Struggle Committee, Kage said over one crore people had already given written consent and signed in favour of the demand.

“People from all sections of this region are demanding a separate State for their overall and inclusive development. Therefore, I humbly request you to kindly consider our appeal and recommend to the Central government the formation of a separate North Karnataka State,” the MLA said.

He also noted that a memorandum was submitted to the President on January 3 and the Prime Minister's Office on January 5 this year.

Kage, who said he had also written to the demand to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, added that he would raise the issue during the Winter Session of the legislature to be held in Belagavi likely in December, according to PTI.

Earlier demands

The debate over regional imbalance in Karnataka is a longstanding one.

In 2022, BJP leader and then Minister late Umesh Katti had reiterated his demand for a separate statehood to North Karnataka alleging that the region had remained neglected. He had said that the Centre was looking into such demands from various States, including Karnataka.

(With PTI inputs)