Udupi district Bandh on November 10 opposing sand problem
Action Committee for Sand decides to hold bandh
Udupi, October 31: Udupi MLA Raghupathi Bhat said that overnight dharna would be continued till the district administration allow sand mining in CRZ and non-CRZ zones and the district bandh would be observed on November 10.
The MLA disclosed the resolutions taken in the meeting of the organisations who have been staying dharna for the last seven days led by Udupi District Action Committee for Sand, here on Wednesday.
The protest would continue till the district administration gave permission for sand mining. As there is code of conduct in force and festival holidays till November 8, they have decided to observe bandh on November 10 to attract the attention of the government. After November 10, all activities of construction sector would be suspended, he said.
Arrogance of CM
The statement of the Chief Minister that the centre was responsible for sand problem was not right. The state government was showing adamant attitude in the issue. The state government was not in a position to control the AC office in the district, Opposition Leader in Legislative Council Kota Srinivas Poojary criticized.
It was planning to take this agitation to the home office of the Chief Minister to find a logical end to the problem. Instead of showing adamant attitude, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy should solve the problem, he demanded.
MLA Lalji R. Mendon, Former Minister Jayaprakash Hegde, Boats Workers Association President Sudhakar Amin, ZP Vice President Sheela K. Shetty, Action Committee for Sand convener M.G Nagendra, PWD Contractors Association President Alevur Sridhar Shetty, Gopal Bhat of Udupi Engineers Association, Lorry Owners Association President Praveen Suvarna, Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Krishnaraj Kodancha and others were present.
Fight against centre too: Bhat
The state government has written a letter to the central government on October 25 and thus rolled the ball from the district administration to the centre. It was purposefully done in order to avoid sand mining. Protest would be held against this on November 10. If the centre took a adverse decision against the sand issue, they would also fight against the central government, the MLA warned. They would not backtrack from the protest, MLA K. Raghupathi Bhat warned.
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Chandrashekhar Swamiji apologises for remark on denying voting rights to Muslims
"If my statement has upset our Muslim brothers, I deeply regret it."
Bengaluru: Kumara Chandrashekharanath Swamiji, head of the Vishva Okkaliga Mahasansthana Mutt, has expressed regret over his controversial statement suggesting that "Muslims should be denied voting rights."
In a press release, Swamiji clarified, "Muslims are also citizens of this country. Like everyone else, they too have voting rights. If my statement yesterday has caused discomfort to our Muslim brothers, I sincerely apologise for it."
He further added, "Okkaligas are inherently tolerant of all religions. We have always treated people of every faith equally. Our Mutt maintains cordial relations with Muslims, and they frequently visit us. Similarly, we attend their weddings and other joyous occasions. Hence, there is no intolerance towards this community." Swamiji appealed to the public to disregard the controversy surrounding his remark.
The controversial statement was made during a farmers' rally, ‘Raita Gharjana,’ organised by the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, Karnataka Pradesh, at Freedom Park, Bengaluru, on Tuesday. Addressing the gathering, Swamiji had said, "A law should be enacted to deny voting rights to the Muslim community, and the Wakf Board should be abolished."
The remark drew widespread criticism from political leaders and the public alike. Following the backlash, Swamiji issued his apology, stating, "Muslims are also citizens of this country. Like everyone else, they too have voting rights. If my statement yesterday has caused discomfort to our Muslim brothers, I sincerely apologise for it."
