Billava candidates more important than party affiliations for us: Shri Narayana Guru Forum president
Sathyajith Surathkal, the State President of the Shri Narayana Guru Vichara Vedike (SNGV), announced that the forum has decided to prioritize the candidate over the party affiliation and will extend support to Billava candidates in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections across several constituencies, irrespective of their party affiliations. This decision was made public during a press conference held at the Press Club in Mangaluru on Monday.
Surathkal highlighted the significance of the decision, stating that the 'Narayana Guru Samaja,' comprising 26 communities including Billavas, Eedigas, and Namdharis, has long sought representation in electoral politics. He emphasized the presence of a substantial Billava voter base, totaling 12 lakh voters, across Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, and Shivamogga districts. Surathkal pointed out that despite this demographic strength, the BJP had not fielded a Billava candidate for over three decades. However, this year, Kota Srinivas Poojary has been nominated as the BJP candidate from the Udupi-Chikmagalur constituency after a hiatus of 33 years.
Regarding the Congress, Surathkal noted that the party had selected a Bunt candidate for the Dakshina Kannada constituency following the unsuccessful Lok Sabha campaigns of veteran leader B Janardhana Poojary.
Surathkal also outlined the efforts of the SNGV in advocating for the advancement of various backward communities, including their advocacy for representation in development boards, the inclusion of Narayana Guru's teachings in textbooks, and the renaming of airports in Mangaluru and Shivamogga.
The SNGV announced its support for Padmaraj R of the Congress in Dakshina Kannada, Kota Srinivas Poojary of the BJP in Udupi-Chikmagalur, and Geetha Shivaraj Kumar, the Congress candidate, in Shimoga. Surathkal assured personal involvement in campaigning for these candidates, expressing hope that their victory would lead to improved educational and economic conditions for the community members.
Responding to queries about his own candidacy, Surathkal lamented the lack of opportunity given to him by the BJP, attributing it to his caste and economic background. He criticized the party's preference for candidates who unquestioningly follow directives from party leaders, asserting his commitment to individuals who uphold self-dignity.
While Surathkal acknowledged the nomination of Kota Srinivas Poojary as a positive step, he maintained that there is room for debate on whether the selection truly represents the interests of the Billava community. He suggested alternative candidates who he believed could have been considered for the nomination based on their past performance in public service roles.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Teen dies in car stunt accident in Kerala, driver held
Thrissur (Kerala) (PTI): A man was arrested on Monday after a 14-year-old boy was killed when a car overturned during a stunt-driving incident at Chamakala Rajiv Road beach in Chentrappinni here, police said.
The arrested accused was identified as Shajeer alias Saddam (36), a native of Kurikkuzhi in Kaipamangalam.
According to police, the incident occurred around 6 pm on Sunday when the accused allegedly performed dangerous drifting manoeuvres with an open-top Gypsy vehicle at the beach, without following any safety norms.
The accused picked up three minors — Mohammed Sinan (14), Mohammed Shafeer (14) and Ameer (12) — who were playing at the beach, and made them sit at the rear of the vehicle before driving recklessly.
While performing the drifting stunt, the vehicle went out of control and overturned, trapping Sinan underneath.
He suffered severe head injuries and succumbed to the impact, police said.
Based on a complaint, Kaipamangalam police registered a case under Section 105 (culpable homicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
After completing the preliminary probe, police arrested Shajeer on Monday.
He was later produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody, police said.
The accused is involved in 11 criminal cases.
