Political rivals Siddaramaiah, Prasad share dais

Former chief minister Siddaramaiah and MP V Srinivas Prasad appearing on the same dais for a programme in T Narasipur created ripples in the political circles, on Monday.

Prasad quit the Congress after he was dropped from the Cabinet of Siddaramaiah-led government. He later joined the BJP and was elected as an MP from Chamarajanagar constituency. But, his recent statements against the Union government for delaying funds for flood-relief surprised many. Hence, the two leaders sharing the same dais on Monday, has created suspicion among the people.

Separate district

After unveiling the statue of B R Ambedkar at T Narasipur on Monday, Siddaramaiah opposed the demand for the creation of D Devaraja Urs district, with Hunsur as headquarters.

“There is no need to bifurcate Mysuru district. Is it possible to create a district for every 30 km? Hunsur is just a few km away from Mysuru. A few leaders are demanding to create a new district for political reasons. The government should not respond,” he said.

“Is it possible to create a district for three taluks? It is not a good development. It is also unscientific,” he said.

Disqualified MLA A H Vishwanath has been demanding the creation of D Devaraj Urs district with Hunsur as headquarters, since last week. He also met Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa in this regard on Monday in Bengaluru.

Prasad flay Siddaramaiah

Prasad took a dig at Siddaramaiah. He said, “Ambedkar is the leader for the oppressed classes. But, there are some leaders, who are trying to break the unity of the people belonging to Scheduled Castes. We should be careful.” But, Siddaramaiah had slipped into a nap by then.

Political gimmick

The separate district demand is opposed by JD(S) leaders too. KR Nagar MLA Sa Ra Mahesh claimed that the demand is a political gimmick.

“I am against separate district status for Hunsur sub-division, which includes KR Nagar and Saligrama towns. The people of our taluk will not support it. The government should seek the opinion of the people and elected representatives from the sub-division before taking a decision,” he said.

Reacting to the issue, farmer leader Kurubur Shanthakumar said, “Mysuru district has already been divided twice -- Mandya and Chamarajanagar. Everybody have seen the pathetic condition of development of Chamarajanagar. We will not accept another bifurcation now.”