15 June:Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has said he would soon lead an all-party and MPs delegation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to press for the long-pending demands of the state.
The demands included according classical language status to Kannada and special status to the under developed North Karnataka region.
The Centre, which approved classical language status to Tamil, did not consider the state’s request for a similar status to Kannada despite repeated pleas by it, Yeddyurappa charged at a press conference in Bangalore on Sunday.
"People of Karnataka are losing their patience over the delay. The Centr should not treat our patience as weakness", he said.
The Congress and JD(S), which ruled the state, were responsible for the backwardness of North Karnataka Region, he alleged and urged the Centre to amend the constitution to extend special status under article 371 to boost development in this backward region.
A meeting of state’s MPs will be convened soon to discuss these issues and also projects pending for clearance before the Union Government, Yeddyurappa said.
Karnataka would appoint a representative in Delhi to monitor the progress of pending projects, he said.Courtsey : DD NEWS