Udupi MLA Yashpal Suvarna blocking traffic signal project, alleges Raghupathi Bhat
Udupi: Former MLA Raghupathi Bhat has leveled serious allegations against Udupi MLA Yashpal Suvarna, accusing him of blocking the implementation of a traffic signal project at Kalsanka Junction, a key traffic point in the city.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Bhat stated that a tender for installing traffic signals had been approved during his tenure, but Suvarna halted the work, allegedly scolding the contractor to stop the project.
"The closure of Kalsanka Junction for traffic control is unscientific and has caused significant inconvenience to the public. The project to install a traffic signal must be implemented immediately," Bhat demanded. He argued that a flyover solution proposed by some would negatively affect commercial activities on the Kalsanka-Manipal road, emphasizing the need for public consultation and thorough discussions before making a final decision.
Bhat outlined his earlier initiatives, which included proposing a 70-meter roundabout without signals at Kalsanka Junction and Bannanje Circle to alleviate congestion. He urged MPs to advocate for the inclusion of this proposal in the upcoming Union Budget.
The former MLA criticized current traffic management strategies, stating that road closures and divider installations are temporary fixes that only exacerbate public inconvenience. He insisted that installing traffic signals would be a more sustainable and immediate solution to traffic woes.
Additionally, Bhat urged the relocation of the existing jail from the old taluk office land earmarked for a new Udupi Municipal Corporation building. He requested the Deputy Commissioner to transfer the one-acre plot reserved for the deputy commissioners' office and residence to the municipal corporation at no cost to maximize space for public infrastructure development.
Former municipal council member Mahesh Thakur accompanied Bhat at the press conference.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
