Mangalore: Harikrishna Punaroor, a former president of the State Kannada Sahitya Parishad, stated here that the time was ripe to carve a separate Tulu state on the coastal region.
Stating that the Telugu people have been demanding a separate state called Telangana in Andhra Pradesh, he said that Tuluvas should exert pressure on the Union government to grant the status of a state on Tulunadu. He also said that a separate Tulu state is essential to preserve the identity of the Tulu-speaking people and their culture.
Criticizing the local leaders who had done a lot of injustice to the Tulu people by not demanding a separate state at the time of reorganizing the states in 1956, he said that Tulunadu has been witnessing a heavy influx of industries that deny employment to local Tulu people to maintain their culture and identity.