Silent protest demanding effective implementation of Article 371(J)

Members of Kalyana Karnataka Horata Samiti staged a silent protest demanding effective implementation of provisions of Article 371(J) of the Constitution in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Indira Smarak Bhavan (Town Hall) in Kalaburagi on Tuesday.

Members of Kalyana Karnataka Horata Samiti staged a silent protest demanding effective implementation of provisions of Article 371(J) of the Constitution in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Indira Smarak Bhavan (Town Hall) in Kalaburagi on Tuesday.

Before demonstrating their silent protest, the founder president of the Samiti Lakshman Dasti urged the government to set up a separate Ministry and Tribunal for implementing Article 371(J). He also called for the establishment of a Railway Division, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and second outer ring road for Kalaburagi.

Activist R.K. Hudgi and Mr. Dasti said that the special status was accorded to Kalyana Karnataka region by amending Article 371(J) based on the inter and intra-district imbalances in the State, but the consecutive governments failed to implement it up to the mark even after ten years.

The Samiti members have condemned the Kalaburagi city police for issuing notices even for the silent protest. “We are raising our voices against injustice being meted out to the Kalyana Karnataka region continuously for decades. The special status has been accorded to the region after three decades of struggle, and now some anti-Constitutional forces are trying to take away our rights,” Mr. Dasti added.

Samiti members Pratap Singh, Shankreppa Hatti, Majheed Dagi, Lingaraj Sirgapur, Shivalingappa Bandak, Rauf Quadri, and Salomen Diwakar were present.