Madikeri : The Centre refused to budge on making a new state of Kodagu (Coorg).
There was a ‘C’ state in Madikeri many decades ago, like ‘Pepsu’ in Punjab, with a speaker and two ministers (No MLAs).This ridiculous situation was rectified later, When Coorg was merged in Karnataka as a district. There was no elected MP from Kodagu to Delhi, as Mangalore MP represented Kodagu, which is now attached to Mysore.
Only 3 MLAs represent Kodagu, one of them a speaker. Under S.M Krishna ministers from Kodagu were in the cabinet, including a Christian.
During Mangalore Sahitya (66th) Sammelan a decade ago a cry was raised for a separate Kodagu, but the then deputy CM (under J.H Patel) and present Congress opposition leader, Siddarmaiah firmly put down his foot on the demand in Mangalore. Still, voices were being raised in Coorg by some corporators for a separate state.
Presently, the Central Govt on Tuesday rejected outright the demand for a separate Kodagu State.
The UPA Govt should know better, in yielding to separations and divisions of the present 4 Southern States. Even a special status (under article 371 as in Jammu and Kashmir) for Hyderabad areas of Karnataka, on the border of 5 to 6 districts has been turned down by the Centre, by ignoring pleas.
The Centre does not believe in a second recognisation commission appointment, to form smaller states in South India in Andhra (Telangana) and Hyderabad Karnataka, or for that matter, Vidarbha in Maharashtra.
Home Minister of State Gurudas Kamath made it clear on Mar 15th in Lok Sabha (Tuesday) that there was no proposal for smaller states in South Kamat’s clear statement of policy has given a reverse sign of action to a Telangana Movement.
Kamath stated that no state govt, had come up with any proposal for bi-furcation.
There are demands in almost every state in the north or south, for similar states from local people, as in Bengal, U.P., Bihar, Saurashtra in Gujarat and so on.
The Central Govt would not disturb the present 30 stages, unless a real need arises in any state to cut its size, as BJP (NDA) govt. had done in recent years.