<p class="title">Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, on Monday, blamed the media for stirring up the controversial separate North Karnataka state issue.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said: "The media is instigating people. You (media) are stoking the fire. I have not made any wrong statements on the separate statehood issue. I had merely responded to BJP MLA Sreeramulu's statements. I had asked him where he would bring grants from if a separate state is created. I haven't said anything beyond this. But the media has been repeatedly airing this."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Recently, Sreeramulu had demanded a separate North Karnataka state. In the budget discussion, he said that if the government neglected North Karnataka districts, then the demand for separate statehood would be intensified.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Reacting to Sreeramulu's statement, Kumaraswamy retorted at a public gathering in Channapatna asking him if he had the mettle to run a separate state.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The CM also rued that the people of north Karnataka had not voted him to power. Following this, some organisations and mutt heads called for a bandh in Belagavi on August 2. </p>
<p class="title">Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, on Monday, blamed the media for stirring up the controversial separate North Karnataka state issue.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said: "The media is instigating people. You (media) are stoking the fire. I have not made any wrong statements on the separate statehood issue. I had merely responded to BJP MLA Sreeramulu's statements. I had asked him where he would bring grants from if a separate state is created. I haven't said anything beyond this. But the media has been repeatedly airing this."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Recently, Sreeramulu had demanded a separate North Karnataka state. In the budget discussion, he said that if the government neglected North Karnataka districts, then the demand for separate statehood would be intensified.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Reacting to Sreeramulu's statement, Kumaraswamy retorted at a public gathering in Channapatna asking him if he had the mettle to run a separate state.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The CM also rued that the people of north Karnataka had not voted him to power. Following this, some organisations and mutt heads called for a bandh in Belagavi on August 2. </p>