Kumaraswamy seeks to mollify agitators demanding statehood for

As the demand for a separate north Karnataka state resurfaced, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy today said the state government was mulling shifting some government offices to Suvarna Vidhana Soudha inthe region, in an attempt to address alleged discrimination.

Expressing his government's strong commitment for the region's development, the Chief Minister, who is in theeye of a political storm over the separate state demand issue, said he was one among them as he termed the issue a "conspiracy" by political opponents ahead of next year's Lok Sabha polls.

"There are two Upa Lokayukta's in the state.I have plans to shift one Upa Lokayukta to Suvarna Vidhana Soudha.Then there are about five or six RTI commissioners. Among themI plan to shift three to northern districts- one toKalaburagi and other two to Belagavi Suvarna Vidhana Soudha,"he said.

Plans are on to shift several offices, includingthe 'Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam', to northern districts, hesaid.

Kumaraswamy said he had already made plans to shift some offices from Bengaluru and to ensure that the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi functions all round the year actively.

"Consider me as one among you (people of northKarnataka) ...some people want to create a distance between us by indulging in false propaganda.

I have plans and programmes toearn your love and affection," he told representatives ofoutfits demanding a separate north Karnataka state.

Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi, modelled on the lines of the Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat and legislature inBengaluru, functions only during the winter session of the state legislature and is shut during the rest of the year.

As the demand for a separate state has snowballed into a political slug fest between the ruling coalition, especially
"As I have waived Rs 49,000 crore farm loans, BJP is unable to digest it. They want some issue for the parliament election and are hence raising this issue," he said