Defeat those who are politicising gods and spoiling harmony: Prakash Raj

News Network
December 12, 2017

Mangaluru, Dec 12: The walk for amity launched by Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister B Ramanath Rai at Farangipete in Bantwal taluk earlier in the day culminated at Mani in Puttur taluk covering about 22 km on Mangaluru-Bengaluru National Highway 75.

Hundreds of Congress workers, Left wing activists, representatives of Raita Sangha and other social organisations took part in it.

Though Mr. Rai got tired after walking 12 km in four hours, he retained his spirit as he reached Melkar Junction at 2 p.m. This was the first break for Mr. Rai, who started the walk at Farangipet.

This was the second time that Mr. Rai has taken part in a walk organised by the Congress. In 2013, Mr. Rai was among a few Congress leaders to walk 44 km during the party’s padayatra to Ballari in protest against illegal mining in the State.

“It is arduous. But for a cause I am ready to take this strain,” Mr. Rai said and added that a regimen of physical exercise was helping him take up such a walk.

Sporting black walking footwear, Mr. Rai walked briskly for a while from Farangipet. Then, he slowed down and took the help of two Congress activists in his further journey. His slow walking led a group of walkers stay with Mr. Rai, while other participants moved ahead. This also led to the programme getting delayed by nearly two hours.

While Congress MLAs and MLCs preferred to walk only a few metres during the walk, Mr. Rai walked the entire distance. “This is the word that I gave to the people following the communal incidents in the district. I have acted accordingly,” Mr. Rai said.

Expressing happiness over the overwhelming support for the padayatra, Mr. Rai said that this was a display of the strength of the people who are for communal harmony. “We may fight elections on our agendas and principles. But when it comes to maintaining communal harmony, we are one,” said Mr. Rai, who was glad with the support that he received from the Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Raita Sangha and other social organisations for the padayatra. He did not wish to comment on the opposition to the padayatra from the Social Democratic Party of India and the United Muslim Organisations.

There were a few others who walked the entire distance. It included All India Congress Committee member P.V. Mohan, Democratic Youth Federation of India State president Muneer Katipalla and 70-year-old Sundaranna from Panemangaluru. The Congress activists had arranged for water, watermelon and curds for the walkers and the security personnel all along the route.

Superintendent of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy C.H. and Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil S. covered the distance in a vehicle even as they oversaw security arrangements.

Defeat communal forces: Prakash Raj

Speaking during the valedictory celebrations of the walk, multilingual actor Prakash Raj urged people to raise their voices against persons trying to engineer communal trouble.

“You need not be spoon-fed. You all know the persons who are trying to spoil communal harmony. You also know the harm they will cause if they are elected,” Mr. Raj said. 

He added that those politicising gods should not be encouraged. The actor said people were not fools and they knew the forces that were engineering communal riots, be it in Uttara Kannada or Rajasthan. He said while murdering a person was condemnable, it was sinful to politicise the murder of a person.

Mr. Raj said the goal of the padayatra was to stand against forces that profess murder for a murder.

Minister for Food and Civil Supplies U.T. Khader; Congress MLAs J.R. Lobo, T. Shakuntala Shetty, K. Vasantha Bangera, and B.A. Mohiuddin Bawa; MLC Ivan D’Souza; CPI (M) leader G.V. Srirama Reddy; CPI leader Siddanagouda Patil; Democratic Youth Federation of India State committee president Muneer Katipalla, some zilla panchayat members of the Congress, and Congress councillors participated in the walk.

More than 1,000 police personnel had been deployed to ensure peaceful conduct of the padayatra. A KSRTC bus was reportedly stoned near Farangipet during the walk.

Mr. Rai had planned the walk in September following communal violence at Kalladka and B.C. Road which claimed two lives in June–July. The government had not allowed the event then.

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Abdul Ghanim
 - 
Wednesday, 13 Dec 2017

EXCEPT VOTING , WHAT OTHER  STARTEGY CONGRESS HAVE ON GROUND TO DEFEAT RSS/bjp???  but the irony is that, Puttur MLA Shakuntala Shetty once said Hindus should keep talwar, and gun to kill muslims! how can you achive social harmony when you have bunch of RSS Workers under congress name!???

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coastaldigest.com news network
May 4,2020

Mangaluru, May 4: The district administration has set up seven check-posts to monitor those entering Dakshina Kannada from other districts and states amidst coronavirus crisis.

The check-posts are located at up seven check-posts at Talapady, Hejamady, Gundya, Jalsoor, Charmadi, Naravi and Kallugundi. 

According to Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh, all those who enter the district will be screened. Those who come from outside the district and state will be asked to remain in quarantine. 

As the relaxation is announced for 12 hours, the public should be cautious while venturing out of the house. Wearing a mask in public is mandatory in addition to maintaining social distance. 

Further, she said of the 24 cases reported in the district, only four had symptoms of breathlessness and others were asymptomatic. Of the nine active cases in the district, the condition of one patient is serious while two are likely to be discharged from hospital shortly, said the DC.

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News Network
January 2,2020

Shivamogga, Jan 2: A large number of farmers who wanted to stage a demonstration against Prime Minister Narendra Modi protesting the non-implementation of the 'Swaminathan Report' were detained at Bengaluru, Tumakuru and Shivamogga, police said on Thursday.

According to police, the detentions have taken place in certain parts of Tumakuru, near Bengaluru as well as in Shivamogga.

As part of his two-day visit to Karnataka, Modi is scheduled to visit Tumakuru on Thursday to pay his obeisance to the departed seer of Siddaganga Math Shivakumara Swamiji and meet the present pontiff Siddalinga Mahaswamiji.

Later, he would address a mega public meeting where he will give away the Krishi Karman awards.

In the evening he will reach Bengaluru to visit the DRDO facility to dedicate five DRDO Young Scientists Laboratories to the nation.

Pressing implementation of the Swaminathan Report, which recommends a holistic national policy, the farmers under the leadership of Kodihalli Chandrashekar had planned to stage a demonstration at Tumakuru.

Before they could leave for Tumakuru, the police detained them.

According to Chandrashekar, the farmers have been arrested at Nelamangala, Herohalli near Magadi, Kunigal and Koratagere in Tumakuru district and Shivamogga.

Speaking to PTI, Chandrashekar said the BJP has betrayed farmers by not implementing the Swaminathan report.

"The BJP could implement all the agenda such as abrogation of Article 370, paving way for Ram Temple in Ayodhya and various other poll promises but it ignored its promise of implementing the Swaminathan report," the farmer leader said.

Chandrashekar also said he has been detained at a ground on Magadi Road along with two others while farmers who wanted to take part in the protest have been detained in different parts of the state.

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News Network
January 15,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 15: The on-going process to select a new Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president is likely to drag on for few more days with former CM and opposition leader Siddaramaiah making a strong pitch for former minister MB Patil over DK Shivakumar for the post.

Siddaramaiah, who met AICC president Sonia Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders in New Delhi on Tuesday, reportedly argued in favour of Patil, saying his elevation would help the party win Lingayats to the fold.

“Yediyurappa, the undisputed leader of the Lingayat community, is almost at the end of his career and it is an opportunity for the Congress to gain the confidence of the community. Being a leader from North Karnataka, Patil fits the bill perfectly,” Siddaramaiah reportedly told Sonia.

Siddaramaiah is said to be backing Patil over Shivakumar as he is worried about losing his hold over the state unit, given Shivakumar’s popularity. While Sonia did give the former CM a patient hearing, she is said to have told him that he should obey and cooperate with whatever decision high command takes.

The high command is looking to evolve consensus on the new state president. “Sonia’s meeting with Siddaramaiah is part of this exercise. She wants to keep everybody in the loop,” said a functionary.

Siddaramaiah also met senior leaders Ahmed Patel and AK Anthony. He is expected to meet former AICC president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday.

However, some including Mallikarjun Kharge and Shamanur Shivashankarappa have expressed reservations against Patil’s elevation, pointing to his role in the controversial separate Lingayat religion issue which dented the Congress’ prospects in the 2018 assembly polls.

“He has a very bad name among Lingayats and making him president would prove counter-productive. Moreover, it is difficult to win back Lingayats as long as Yediyurappa is active in politics,” said a senior Congress leader.

Another functionary said a majority of state functionaries — and even some in the high command — favour Shivakumar as he is not only “resourceful”, but also has momentum. “With HD Deve Gowda and HD Kumaraswamy losing popularity among Vokkaligas, the possibility of the community backing Shivakumar is high. This may land him the top job,” the functionary said.

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