Seers call Belgavi second capital

Over 50 seers, under the banner of Uttara Karnataka Vikasa Vedike and supported by social and non-political organisations, staged a protest here on Tuesday, condemning the alleged injustice to North Karnataka region.

They demanded that the secretariat offices be shifted to Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, half of the legislature sessions in a year be held here, Belagavi be declared the second capital of the state and that the region be developed comprehensively.

Members of some of the organisations pressed for hoisting the ‘separate state flag showing the map with 13 districts’.

Police detained Nagesh Golshetty, general secretary of the North Karnataka Horata Samiti. He was later released by the police.

Police thwarted the hoisting of the separate state flag, a move which the seers did not endorse.

The religious leaders demanded that North Karnataka be developed on a par with South Karnataka. They warned the government not to test the patience of the people of the region. Otherwise, an agitation for a separate state would be inevitable. Lesser allocations in the budget to the southern region for a couple of years would not harm it, they said.

BJP state president and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly B S Yeddyurappa, who received the memorandum, appealed to the seers to drop the protest.

“There is no doubt that injustice has been done to North Karnataka. I promise to fight both in and outside the legislature for the development of the region,” he said.

He criticised Chief Minister H D Kumarswamy for his 'irresponsible statements' and accused him of provoking separatist sentiments.

Yeddyurappa said he would tour all 13 districts in North Karnataka, where people feel that the JD(S)-Congress government had meted out injustice to them.

"People from these districts will be assured that the BJP is with them and it will fight for their rights in the legislature and outside it. An appeal will be made to give up their demand for dividing the state," the BJP leader said.

"Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda has asked what contribution (former chief ministers) Nijalingappa, S R Bommai and Veerendra Patil have made for North Karnataka.

While giving such statements, he should think what he had contributed as the prime minister. We should avoid making accusations and counter-accusations," Yeddyurappa said.