Decades after the unification of the state, the people of Karnataka still have not united on an emotional level, the former bureaucrat S.M. Jamadar has said.
Speaking at a session on ‘Has unification of Karnataka served the purpose?’, organised as part of the 125th anniversary celebrations of Karnataka Vidyavardhak Sangha here on Sunday, Mr. Jamadar said that those ruling the State had not yet developed a balanced approach towards development of all regions.
Mr Jamadar said that it had been 58 years since the unification of the State. However, the State had only been united from an administrative point of view, not from an emotional point of view.
Referring to the opposition by people of Mysore region during the unification of Kannada-speaking areas, Mr. Jamadar said many people in the Mysore region still had the same attitude. However, he said that complete development was not possible at any point of time. According to him, if at all some development had taken place in north Karnataka, it was because of politicians from south Karnataka who ruled the State. He said that although six leaders from north Karnataka became Chief Ministers, they forgot about the development of north Karnataka when they were in power.
“Development does not mean only economic progress. It also means political, social and religious growth. Unless rulers have a vision, the development of the State will not be possible,” he said.
Referring to the apex court judgment that parents should decide the medium of instruction, writer Ko. Chennabasappa who presided over the session, urged parents not to send their children to English-medium schools. “Protests will not protect a language. Politicians are bent on killing Kannada as they are running English-medium schools,” he claimed.
