Special status for H-K region: Karna plea to Centre on letter

"I met Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and handed over a letter to him and said he would withdraw the letter which took exception to some of the provisions made in the proposal to amend Article 371," he said in the Assembly here.

In a letter addressed to Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs Venkaiah Naidu on November 9, Shettar had said the Centre had neither consulted the state nor sought its opinion before tabling the Bill, proposing to insert Article 371(J) to confer special status to the H-K region, in the Rajya Sabha.

"We had some reservations on the proposal to insert Article 371 (J). We wanted the resolution called Article 371 D passed by the State Assembly to be adopted by Parliament. We wanted the assembly to have its say," Shettar said.

However, the Hyderabad-Karnataka people objected to the state taking exception to the proposal to insert Article 371 (J) as it would further delay the matter, Shettar said. "Hence we approached, the central government again and Parliamentary Committee members and union ministers to pass the Amendment Bill in the current winter session of Parliament," he said.

Shettar said he has written to Naidu,asking him to withdraw the earlier letter sent by the government taking exception to the proposal of inserting Article 371 (J).

"Accordingly, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs might have sent my letter to the Centre. I have also requested Opposition leaders in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha (Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley) to support the Bill" he said.

Reacting to Shettar's statement, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah said he has spoken to Union Minister Mallikarjun Kharge to expedite passing of the bill in Parliament.

Siddaramaiah also urged Shettar to convince Venkaiah Naidu to withdraw the letter sent by the government objecting to the proposal of inserting Article 371 (J).