Bengaluru, Dec. 13 -- Congress MLA Raju Kage on Thursday reignited the call for statehood for North Karnataka, using a debate in the Assembly on regional development to argue that persistent neglect had pushed him to take a position he said he would not abandon, even if every legislator and Kannada organisation stood against him.

Kage told the House that his demand came from frustration with what he described as chronic underdevelopment in his constituency.

He said poverty was so widespread that many residents had never visited Bengaluru because they could not afford the trip. Speaking openly about local hardships, he said he often faced criticism for raising these concerns.

"If I say these things in open, then I am accused of speaking...