From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Jul 30: Media continues to be the whipping boy for the political netas. Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, who is heading the JD(S)-Congress coalition regime in the State, has blamed the media for the flare-up of the demand for a separate statehood for north Karnataka.

“If anything goes wrong in future, it is the media which would be held responsible,’’ he said.

Speaking to media in Bengaluru on Monday, he bluntly said, “You (media) are responsible for flaring up of separate North Karnataka state issue. I would like to tell my media friends that by raking up the issue every day, you are ruining the state. Do not mistake me."

“If anything goes wrong in future, the media would be held responsible for any untoward incidents,” the chief minister warned.

Kumaraswamy said, “It is a media creation. Actually, there is nothing happening of that sort. People there are not making any such demand. They are with the government,” he said.

It may be recalled that Kumaraswamy had attacked the media for blaming his action of levying tax on petrol and diesel to raise money for the farm loan waiver while not doing anything when Narendra Modi’s NDA government levied heavy taxes on all petroleum products even for four years even when global crude prices were at its lowest.

The media had also blamed his cabinet as being too Vokkaliga-predominant and tilted towards the Old Mysore region while north Karnataka was neglected, Kumaraswamy said and alleged that media was always unkind to him.

Again, when the police sought to impose restrictions in Vidhana Soudha to prevent middlemen and hangers on from creating disturbances and also sought prevent media from frequently disrupting ministers by seeking sound bites, the Chief Minister said the media ganged up against him and projected as it was an assault against freedom of the press.

Targeting the media for “misquoting” him, Kumaraswamy said he had not made wrong comments on the issue, but had just responded to a BJP MLA’s statement in the legislative Assembly.

“I was responding to (BJP leader) Sreeramulu’s statement during the budget session. I had asked him, from where will he get grants after carving out separate state of North Karnataka? Is it a big issue? Is it a big crime,’’ he asked.

During budget discussion, Sreeramulu said the demand for separate statehood will intensify if the government neglected the region.

The Chief Minister had countered Sreeramulu at a public meeting in Channapatna by asking him from where he would get funds for running a separate state. The chief minister said Bengaluru generates 65 % of revenue to the State exchequer and funds being used for development of north Karnataka.

The issue has raised a storm with outfits coming under the banner of Uttara Karnataka Pratyeka Rajya Horata Samiti, a committee fighting for a separate statehood to north Karnataka, announcing a day-long bandh in 13 districts of the region on August 2.

The committee had alleged discrimination in the allocation towards the region in the budget presented by Kumaraswamy on July 5.

Several Congress leaders opposed the demand for the separate statehood for the region.