JOIN US'Local leaders need to ask if Belagavi really belongs to Karnataka,' says BJP MLA
In an awkward moment for the ruling BJP, the party’s Belgaum Dakshin MLA Abhay Patil expressed deep resentment in the Assembly over the government’s ‘ignorance’ towards the development of the border district, especially in creating jobs.
Patil’s broadside came a day after the Assembly adopted a resolution reiterating its position on the Belagavi border dispute with Maharashtra.
“We’ve reached a situation where local MLAs need to ask if Belagavi really belongs to Karnataka. There are no jobs. After the Indal factory, no big industry has come to Belagavi in the last 30-35 years. We sit here and make speeches that this region should belong to Karnataka. And, what’s the point in passing resolutions when we can’t provide jobs to our youth?” Patil said during Question Hour.
Patil also poked the government’s ‘Beyond Bengaluru’ initiative. “Beyond Bengaluru is not going beyond Hubballi,” the MLA said. “My government has given funds for development of basic infrastructure. You gave several programmes last time you were a minister. This time, I must say you seem to have forgotten Belagavi,” he told Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani.
Maharashtra’s Kagal industrial area is taking away local investments, Patil frowned. “We need a special policy for Belagavi because Maharashtra is offering more incentives and attracting industries near the border, especially foundries,” he said.
Responding to Patil, Nirani said that the recent Invest Karnataka summit made it a point to offer incentives to investors to set up shop outside Bengaluru. “We’ve signed agreements worth Rs 9.8 lakh crore of which only about 10 per cent are for Bengaluru. The remaining 80-90 per cent are in Tier-2 cities of Belagavi, Hubballi-Dharwad, Kalaburagi and Mangaluru,” he said, promising to consider coming up with a special package for Belagavi.
Intervening, Belgaum Uttar MLA Anil Benake said that the government must take steps to take possession of 700 acres of land earmarked for an IT park. “The defence ministry is sitting on the land. An IT park will help Belagavi, which has a high number of engineering graduates who go to Pune or Bengaluru,” he said.
Assuring Benake, Nirani said that he would fix an appointment with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. “The government has identified 1,000 acres near Khanapur that can be given to the defence ministry in lieu of the land that we’ve identified for the IT park,” Nirani said.