JOIN USThe Karnataka government's plan to create new Vijayanagar district by carving out six taluks from Ballari has run into resistance from within the ruling BJP, with senior party leaders from the region openly opposing the move.
Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Thursday asked the Chief Secretary to place the proposal on the creation of the district before the next cabinet meeting. Once approved, Vijayanagar will become the state's 31st district.
Health Minister B Sriramulu, who hails from Ballari, said he personally felt the district should "remain united", adding that he will talk to the Chief Minister on the issue. "Some are demanding separate district, while some want to remain united and don't want the district bifurcated. I will speak to the Chief Minister, and also in the cabinet," he said.
Noting that the goal was to see all-round development of the state with the party in power now, the minister said it would be good for everyone if the district was not divided. He said "required development" had not taken place in newly created districts such as Gadag, Koppal and Yadgir despite efforts by various governments.
BJP MLA from Ballari City, G Somashekara Reddy said he was opposed to bifurcation and any such move will be seen as "Tuglaq" decision. "Whoever had gone for meeting with CM (demanding separate district) I call them selfish, for the selfish motives they are trying to bifurcate our united Ballari district, we will not accept it. If the district is bifurcated it can be called as Tuglak decision and nothing else", Reddy said.
The MLA said he would meet the Chief Minister and appeal to him not to bifurcate the district, adding he was open to renaming the district as Vijayanagar.
While Somashekara Reddy is the brother of mining baron and former Minister G Janardhan Reddy, who once had "complete hold" on the mine-rich Ballari district's politics, Sriramulu is his close confidant.
Anand Singh, one of the 17 disqualified MLAs whose rebellion led to the fall of the previous H D Kumaraswamy-led government, had cited the demand for a separate Vijayanagar district as one of the reasons for his resignation from Congress.
A delegation led by Singh had on Wednesday met Yediyurappa and urged him to create a separate Vijayanagar district by bifurcating Ballari.
According to BJP sources, creation of new district is likely to benefit Singh, expected to be fielded as the party's candidate in the upcoming bypoll to Vijayanagar assembly segment, necessitated following his disqualification.
In a note written to the Chief Secretary, Yediyurappa has said that keeping public and administrative interest in mind, it was necessary to create the new district with six out of 11 taluks in Ballari District with Hosapete as its headquarters.
Noting that some parts of the Ballari district were about 200 km away from the present headquarters, the Chief Minister said it was causing inconvenience to farmers, poor, labourers and common people.
There has also been a long pending demand from some quarters to carve out Chikkodi as a separate district from Belagavi, which is the state's largest district in terms of area.
To a question regarding bifurcating Belagavi, Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan said an "appropriate decision would be taken at an appropriate time". Vijayanagar district had been planned as it would help in administrative aspect, he added.