BJP calls for protest in Mangaluru on Sep 16 against Cong govt's 'anti-labour' policies
Mangaluru (PTI): The BJP on Monday announced a protest in Mangaluru on September 16 against the alleged "anti-people and anti-labour" policies of the Congress government in Karnataka.
BJP state secretary and Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta, in a statement here, said restrictions imposed on laterite stone and sand mining have resulted in acute shortages across Dakshina Kannada district.
He said the crisis has stalled development projects and dashed the hopes of the poor who aspire to build homes.
Chowta alleged that construction workers and contractors have been left without jobs, pushing thousands of families into hardship.
"The Congress government has been making empty promises for the past three months while imposing arbitrary curbs on quarrying and sand extraction. The construction sector has suffered losses running into hundreds of crores," he said.
The protest will be staged in front of the Mini Vidhana Soudha in Mangaluru from 9 am to 5 pm. BJP leaders, workers, and affected individuals are expected to participate in large numbers.
Chowta charged that the state government's inaction has caused "immense distress" to daily wage earners dependent on the construction sector.
"This is not just about stalled projects; it is about the survival of thousands of families," he said, calling on the public to join the dharna.
The BJP has vowed to continue its agitation until the state government announces a clear and lasting solution to the sand and laterite stone shortage in coastal Karnataka.
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Kulkarni became victim of BJP conspiracy as he grew politically in North Karnataka: Shivakumar
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Bengaluru (PTI): Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar claimed on Friday that Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder case, has become a victim of a BJP conspiracy because he was growing politically in the north Karnataka region.
Stating that he has faith in Kulkarni and believes he has done nothing wrong, he said the former minister will fight the case legally by filing an appeal.
A Bengaluru court on Friday sentenced Kulkarni and fifteen others to life imprisonment in the BJP leader Yogeshgouda Goudar murder case.
On Wednesday, Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, Judge of the Special Court for cases involving elected representatives, convicted Kulkarni and others under various IPC sections, including criminal conspiracy and murder.
“I respect the court. But there was a big conspiracy in this case. When the police were about to file a B-report, the CBI was given the case to harass him (Kulkarni). Vinay Kulkarni has become a victim of a BJP conspiracy as he was growing politically in north Karnataka,” Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, he said Kulkarni has several legal options.
“I have spoken to his family. He swore on God and told me that he had not done anything wrong. I still have faith in him. I feel that he has not done anything wrong. He has an opportunity to file an appeal,” he said, adding that he stands with Kulkarni’s family and supporters and believes he will get justice.
The case pertains to the killing of Goudar, a BJP zilla panchayat member, in Dharwad on June 15, 2016. Kulkarni was a minister at the time. Hired assailants allegedly attacked and hacked Goudar to death in his gym in Saptapur, Dharwad.
Following demands from Goudar’s family and others, the then-BJP government transferred the case to the CBI in 2019.
Veteran BJP leader and former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, under whose tenure the case was handed over to the CBI, told reporters in Chikkamagaluru, “I said what I needed to say when the crime happened, and what I said—that the guilty should be punished and justice should be served—has proven true.”
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, BJP leader and MLC C T Ravi, reacting to the court order, said, “Justice delayed, but not denied.”
