Kumaraswamy about North Karnataka divide

Bengaluru, Aug 01: Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said the state government was mulling over shifting a few government offices to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in the region, in an attempt to address alleged discrimination.

The bandh called by some organizations demanding bifurcation of the state on Thursday is likely to be a damp squib because of opposition to such a demand from the same region.

"There are two Upa Lokayukta's in the state. I have plans to shift one Upa Lokayukta to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha. Then there are about five or six RTI commissioners. Among them, I plan to shift three to northern districts one to Kalaburagi and other two to Belagavi Suvarna Vidhana Soudha," he said, adding that plans are on to shift several offices, including the "Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam", to northern districts.

Kumaraswamy said he had already made plans to shift some offices from Bengaluru and to ensure that the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi functions all round the year actively.

"Consider me as one among you (people of North Karnataka).. Some people want to create a distance between us by indulging in false propaganda. I have plans and programmes to earn your love and affection," he told representatives of outfits demanding a separate state of North Karnataka.

Kumaraswamy has once again requested them to drop the demand.

The BJP has asked its leaders not to extend support to the bandh saying that it is with the people who genuinely feel that their regions are ignored and not with the people who want to divide the state.