Seers of over 30 religious mutts from various districts of North Karnataka gathered outside the Suvarna Vidhan Soudha on Tuesday and protested for the development of the northern districts of the states.
Siddarama Swamiji of Rudrakshimath Naganur, Panchama Shivalingeshwar Swamiji Nidasosi and over 30 other seers of various Veerashiva-Lingayat mutts participated in the symbolic protest.
Swamis leading the agitation against injustice to north Karnataka did not allow North Karnataka Horata Samiti activists to hoist the purported flag of North Karnataka.
Later BJP State President B S Yeddyurappa visited the protest site to pacify the seers and convince them to call off the agitation. Yeddyurappa, however, did not support dividing Karnataka and said whatever shortcomings were there could be set right. Yeddyurapa said the chief minister should have come to meet the seers, apologised for his statements and rectify the “injustice meted out to North Karnataka.” He blamed chief minister HD Kumaraswamy for giving room to the demand for statehood for North Karnataka.
The seers claimed that the region had been terribly neglected by successive governments and that the current government too had sidelined the region. They, however, reiterated that their demand was not for a separate state but for the development of the region.
Congress MLA from Yamakanmardi, Satish Jarkiholi, too backed the agitation and demanded that the government address the region’s grievances. He, however, did not favour division of the state.
Source: the Hindu, Deccan Herald, Times now, Business standard