Bengaluru: The twin cities of Hubballi and Dharwad will observe a day long bandh on Wednesday in protest against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's letter to the Union HRD minister Mrs. Smriti Irani requesting her to reconsider the Centre's decision to sanction the proposed Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to Dharwad. Siddaramaiah in his letter has urged the Minister to set up the institute in Raichur which is part of the most backward regions in Hyderabad Karnataka region.
The letter has now stirred up a hornet's nest with experts and past students of the various elite IITs requesting the state government and politicians not to politicise the issue. Many have taken to social media to express their displeasure over politics involved in selection of the district.
Speaking to DC, Mr. Shrinivas T Shetty, an IIT-B alumnus observed it was sad that people's representatives from various parts of the state were fighting over the IIT campus. "Both North Karnataka as well as Hyderabad Karnataka region are backward regions.
So both the cities deserve an IIT. But there can be only one IIT in each state. So politicians should not fight over the location. An IIIT under Public Private Partnership (PPP) module is proposed for Raichur," he said.
He also criticised the CM for writing a letter to Union HRD ministry. "It is unfair to write a letter after Dharwad was selected for the IIT,' he explained. Mr. Joseph Rebello, an IIT-D alumnus said an will help the local economy in several ways and that compared to Raichur, Dharwad was better suited. "Hubballi-Dharwad is witnessing fast growth and IIT is expected to play the role of catalyst.
So it is unfair to dispute this. The Central government is also expected to announce AIMS like institutes in all the states in coming days. The state should push Raichur for this elite institute of medical sciences,' he said. When union HRD ministry announced the setting up of IIT in Dharwad, educationist Dr. Mohandas Pai had observed that it was a great choice as Hubballi-Dharwad would improve its standing as an educational center.
Meanwhile people took to social media to express their unhappiness over Siddaramaiah's volte face. Mr. Shivappa Sangam tweeted saying that the CM should let IIT be in Dharwad and there was no need to change it. Mr. Vijay Angadi tweeted that it was sad that the state government was seeking to delay the setting up of IIT Dharwad and create confusion.
CM plays dangerous game, may become victim of his folly
Can Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has asked the central government to consider setting up the Indian Institue of Technology (IIT) at Raichur instead of Dharwad, succeed in dividing the BJP leadership over the issue or will he burn his fingers for stoking the flames in the two major cities in the state? The debate is raging in the political circles after the chief minister’s “late realisation” to do "justice" to the backward Raichur district.
“Where was the need for the Chief Minister to rethink after the experts' committee submitted its report? Did he not know that Dharwad had already been selected for setting up the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) when he recommended Dharwad and Mysore for IIT? If the Chief Minister had genuine concern for Raichur, he should have recommended just Raichur, instead of recommending three names to the Centre. Even if Dharwad had been chosen, he should have just waited for agitations in Raichur to die down, instead of writing a letter to the Centre. Now that he has shown the bait, the agitation will continue in Raichur, while the people in Dharwad, who will naturally feel betrayed, would intensify their protests. Mr Siddaramaiah has ended up stoking the fire in both places,” a senior political analyst said.
Though Mr Siddaramaiah’s move is said to be a ploy to divide the BJP, saffron leaders are bracing to put him on the mat. “The chief minister may have tried to garner the sympathy of the Raichur people. But he has lost the goodwill of the Mumbai-Karnataka region. Tomorrow if the Centre puts the ball in the state government’s court and asks it to clarify, what will be the government's stand? If the Centre rejects Raichur, claiming that the experts’ committee did not recommend it, what will the state government do? If the process of setting up the IIT is delayed, the state government will have to take the blame," a senior BJP leader said.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Jagadish Shettar is learnt to have assured leaders of the IIT Manjoorati Horata Samiti, which is fighting for the IIT in Raichur, that the state BJP leadership will take a decision on the controversial issue within three-four days.
According to Samiti leaders, Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa, BJP national general secretary, told them that he would pressurise the Centre on IIT for Raichur. He is planning to visit Raichur on October 4 to discuss the issue with district leaders, they said.
