Mangaluru under SWR: D.K. Shivakumar’s statement on southern States’ unity draws flak online
Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is facing online criticism for his delayed and vague response regarding the shifting of the Mangaluru railway region to the Mysuru Division. While critics accuse him of prioritizing national party politics over regional interests, others, including Minister U.T. Khader, have welcomed the administrative change.
Why it matters
The controversy underscores the friction between regional identity, state-level governance, and central government administrative decisions in India.
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who had not reacted to the Railway Ministry’s August 21 decision to shift the Mangaluru railway region from Southern Railway’s (SR) Palakkad Division to South Western Railway’s (SWR) Mysuru Division, finally responded on Thursday. However, his statement that he was yet to study the issue and that there should be unity among southern States drew flak online, including on X.
Vijesh Shetty, an X user, posted: “Politics is a shameless job. Depending on the situation, they play their cards. It has been almost 10 days, and Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar says he has no details about moving Mangaluru from Palakkad. According to their convenience, they play the Karnataka region, language card and now the south Indian States card.”
Damodar Hegde, another X user, wrote: “You (D.K. Shivakumar) look sad while people are happy about the logical and right decision.”
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