KALABURAGI : Minister for food and civil supplies Umesh Katti, who has been embroiled in a controversy regarding separate state for North Karnataka, clarified on Monday that he had no intention to trigger a row and unrest among people.
In an exclusive interview with TNIE, Katti who represents the Hukkeri Assembly constituency of Kittur Karnataka, said “The media misinterprets my statements often. It was my personal opinion that for overall development of the regions there is a need for small states and the central government has already decided to create 26 new states after 2024 Lok Sabha polls, which will take the total number of states to 50. Karnataka will also be bifurcated into North and South Karnataka for its benefit”.
When the demand for separate statehood for Kittur Karnataka and Kalyana Karnataka regions was brought to his notice, he said, “The new states will be formed on the basis of population. It would be infeasible to create Kittur Karnataka and Kalyana Karnataka separately and that’s why he refrained from mentioning those regions. If we firmly demand separate statehood for North Karnataka, chances are bright. After all, the culture, language and food of both Kalyana Karnataka and Kittur Karnataka are similar,” he added. He reiterated that he has been dissatisfied with successive governments for discrimination towards North Karnataka.
13L ration cards cancelled Katti said the department has cancelled over 13 lakh BPL cards in the last few months after finding out that the holders had higher income.