Dharwad: Member of Legislative Council and former minister Basavaraj Horatti has urged the leader of opposition in Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar to call for an all-party meeting before the winter session of Legislature commences in Belagavi from December 9.

Speaking to media persons at Dharwad on Friday, Horatti said the session to be held this month at Suvarna Vidhan Soudha should focus on the issues haunting the people of north Karnataka and come up with a concrete plan to correct the regional imbalance.

He asserted that Shettar should call for an all-party meeting in Hubballi to raise the issue in both the Houses (upper and lower) and exert pressure on the state government to fulfill the demands of the people here.

At the meeting, elected representatives can come up with suggestions and the problems haunting their region and accordingly, the matter could be placed before the Houses.

On shifting the Secretariat from Bengaluru to Suvarna Vidhana Soudha (SVS) in Belagavi, Horatti stated there were 13 meeting halls in SVS to hold House committee meeting. Meeting could be held in just two to three halls and the remaining 10 halls could be used as offices of various departments. The basement of the SVS, too, is well furnished and even this could be used as offices, he noted.

All the 96 MLAs from north Karnataka region have to cut across party affiliations and unanimously raise their voice for the development of this region, he said. Horatti added he was ready to take up the leadership of holding the all-party meeting, if Shettar failed to respond.