Uttara Karnataka bundh: A failed drama!
BJP has suffered a loss of face having attempted to impose an unnecessary bundh on the state, to create embarrassment for the ruling party. The BJP has set up this comedy show of sorts to press for the demand of separate North Karnataka state, and create some sort of anarchy for the state government.
On one hand BJP said they didn’t support demand of separate state and on the other, they were fanning the fire that raged for separate state. BJP leaders had led the bundh that was called on Thursday.
Since this issue pertains to the solidarity of Karnataka, those BJP leaders sitting in Bangalore tried to wriggle out of the situation. If they indeed felt that the whole issue was a mistake, they should have shared a word of wisdom with their counterparts elsewhere in the state. They didn’t do any of this, and just made a statement saying ‘we do not support the idea of north Karnataka being a separate state’ and tried to safeguard their interests.
BJP has to shoulder the responsibility of this issue now because they set this whole issue up for political mileage. With BJP doing this, how can one blame Kerala playing politics over Kasargod, Maharashtra over Belagavi and Tamil Nadu over Cauvery water? The same people who have grown using the state’s resources, are the ones who are planning on its division.
Writers and thinkers who were responsible for today’s Karnataka such as Huilgol Narayana Rao, Alur Venkata Rao, Srikantaiah and others strived hard to bring Karnataka together. Who is responsible for poor progress of the region? Did the region lag behind only after HDK became the CM? Many leaders who have represented the region have been in vantage positions in ruling the state.
With this being the reality, it would be illogical to assume south Karnataka being responsible for the poor progress of north, even when conniving politicians say this. The elected representatives are responsible for the region not witnessing good progress.
There are leaders who send thousands of crores to their Delhi units, in North Karnataka. How did they earn this? How did people like Reddy brothers, leaders like Sriramulu and others earn the thousands of crores they possess? How did the Jarakiholis earn their wealth? The leaders who stole minerals from the mines and earned all the riches are from North Karnataka. After having destroyed the ecosystem of the place, they are now blaming someone else for their region being neglected. Someone has to ask them how did people like Sriramulu earn their riches if the region was indeed impoverished. These are the same people who are trying to fool the others.
What contribution did BJP make towards Karnataka when the party assumed power? Yeddyurappa should let the people of the state know about this. Every year, suitcase full of money travelled from South to north via the Reddy brother to Sushma Swaraj. How did that happen? Was this not the result of exploitation of people of north Karnataka? People like Dharam Singh from North Karnataka sat in the chair of CM, and Kharge has enjoyed the long standing representation from the area. How does this amount to ignoring the region? MLAs and MPs from the place have always enjoyed good power in office, yet they fail in giving an answer for this question.
Why did the region not progress? Even if we consider the region becomes a separate state, if the same legislators would represent them, how would it help the case? The same Reddy brothers will try to wield power and this will definitely not mean good for the state. After all, the Reddys have one foot on Ballary and other in Andhra. They would gain nothing if Karnataka progresses or not. They share good relationship with Maharashtra politicians in BJP. Even that state wants Karnataka to split. Sangh Parivar does not want Lingayat to become an independent religion. If they do, it would have serious impact on Brahminical hegemony in RSS. So over all, this strategy is to divert many other demands of people of the state. And it’s not like the CM didn’t contribute to this confusion. He should have been careful in his statements, and not get emotionally charged under pressure.
In one of those moments, Kumaraswamy has been an easy prey to his detractors. As a politician, he has a long way to go and lots to learn from his father Devegowda. Else, Kumaraswamy’s political career may end before his father’s phenomenal political life ends.
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Ex-minister Ramanath Rai hits out at BJP leader Ashoka for ‘irresponsible’ comments on KC Venugopal
Mangaluru: Congress leader and former minister B Ramanath Rai slammed BJP leader R Ashoka for calling AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal an agent of the party high command, and asked if the general secretary and other office-bearers in the BJP were commission agents too.
Rai, who addressed a press meet at the Congress office in the city on Friday, expressed fury over the recent comments of the BJP leader that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was presenting himself in a shameless manner in public life. Ashoka, who is also Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, had said that the Congress government had ‘broken every previous record on corruption-related controversies’.
“Ashoka has spoken with sheer ignorance and displays his lack of maturity, as he often does while facing the media. KC Venugopal has been working at organization of the party and it is unbecoming of Ashoka to criticize Venugopal as he did,” Rai told reporters.
“Being in a responsible position, how acceptable is it for Ashoka to pass disrespectful, random comments about another leader who also holds a responsible position? If KC Venugopal is indeed an agent of the party high command, what should we consider BJP leaders to be? Are they brokers?” he asked
Commenting on Ashoka’s allegations of corruption in the Congress government in Karnataka, Rai pointed out, “The KSRTC land was sold to private parties when he (Ashoka) was transport minister. We can find several such cases across the state, which need to be probed.”
The former minister, however, refused to comment on the incident that occurred at Mangaluru airport during CM Siddaramaiah’s visit to the city recently.
Former mayors Ashraf and Shashidhar Hegde, Congress activists Vishwas Kumar Das, Subhodaya Alva, Shabeer, Baby Kundar, Padmanabha, Nazeer Bajal and Prem were present.
