Renewing a long-standing regional demand, Congress MLA Raju Kage from Kagwad has urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to consider carving out a separate state for North Karnataka, citing years of neglect and uneven development.
In his letter to the Chief Minister, Kage said the region has suffered discrimination since the unification of Karnataka. He proposed forming a new Kannada-speaking state with 15 northern districts, namely, Bidar, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Yadgir, Bagalkot, Belagavi, Dharwad, Gadag, Koppal, Raichur, Karwar, Haveri, Vijayanagara, Ballari, and Davanagere.
Kage said North Karnataka is rich in resources and has made major contributions to Kannada culture and the state’s unification, yet its people continue to face economic and developmental gaps.
He added that over one crore signatures have already been collected in support of the statehood demand through a public campaign. According to him, the move aims to ensure better administration and balanced growth for the region.
The state government has not yet responded to his proposal.
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