Closure of borders by Karnataka: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan seeks PM Modi's intervention
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 23: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday requested the urgent intervention of the Centre on the new COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Karnataka government on the entry of people from the state.
In a letter sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said many people including students, trucks carrying essential commodities and patients going for medical treatment were put to "undue hardship" at the state borders due to this.
He also brought to the PM's notice that imposing restrictions of inter-state movement of people by states is contrary to the instructions of the government of India.
"I request your urgent intervention in this matter so that hardship of people from Kerala travelling to the neighbouring state of Karnataka can be avoided," Vijayan said.
With the Karnataka government reinstating stricter control of transit passengers from Kerala in view of increasing COVID-19 positive cases, people bound to Mangaluru and other parts of Dakshina Kannada from here for various purposes, including medical needs and studies, were in a fix.
Long queues of vehicles could be seen in the border areas since Monday as Karnataka authorities sealed many roads, including national highways and restricted entry only for those with COVID-19 negative certificates.
The Dakshina Kannada authorities sealed all borders from Monday, except four to cross over, sources said.
According to Karnataka officials at the borders,those who wished to enter the state have to produce COVID-19 negative certificates through an RT-PCR test taken 72 hours prior to their cross over time.
Health and police personnel are on duty at the four borders, viz. Talapady in Mangalore taluk, Saradka in Bantwal, Nettanige-Mudnuru in Puttur taluk and Jalsoor in Sullia, to verify and allow people's entry into Karnataka.
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PM Modi justifies anti-Muslim rhetoric, says "I put truth before country”
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a speech on Tuesday, reiterated his criticisms against Muslims and accused the Congress party of attempting to extend reservation on the basis of religion, specifically for Muslims. Addressing a speech in Rajasthan’s Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, PM Modi accused the Congress of hatching a “deep conspiracy” to take away people’s wealth and distribute it among “select” individuals.
Modi attacked Muslims, India’s largest religious minority, and the Congress, claiming that the grand old party wanted to reduce the “SC-ST reservation and distribute it among the Muslims” during its time in power at the Union. Continuing his scathing attack on Congress, PM Modi also stated that the party was conspiring to “snatch your property” and “distribute it among selected people.”
The prime minister said, “The day before yesterday in Rajasthan, I put forth some truth in front of the country, and the entire Congress and INDI alliance went into a panic. I put forth the truth that Congress is plotting to snatch your property and distribute it to their special people…When I exposed their politics, they got so angry that they started abusing Modi.” He continued, “Congress hatching deep conspiracy to snatch your property, distribute it among selected people.”
“When the Constitution was drafted, reservation based on religion was opposed, so that SC, ST, and OBC castes could get protection. Former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh, in his speech, had said that Muslims have the first right on the country’s resources. This was Manmohan Singh’s statement. Congress’s thinking has always been of appeasement and vote bank politics. As soon as the Congress government came to power at the Centre in 2004, its first task was to try to provide reservation to Muslims by reducing SC/ST reservations in Andhra Pradesh. This was a pilot project that Congress wanted to try in the entire country. Between 2004 and 2010, Congress tried four times to implement Muslim reservations in Andhra Pradesh. However, due to legal hurdles and awareness of the Supreme Court, they could not fulfill his plans. In 2011, Congress tried to implement it across the country. They snatched the rights given to SC/ST and OBC and gave them to others for vote bank politics,” PM Modi said.
“…they [Congress] wanted to grant reservation to one section of the society by cutting into the quotas meant for Dalits and backward classes, which is completely against the Constitution. The reservation rights that Dr. Babasaheb gave to Dalits, backward classes, and tribals, the Congress and the INDI Alliance wanted to give them to specific minorities based on religion,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi’s remarks drew fierce condemnation from the opposition for peddling Islamophobia and for breaking election rules which bar candidates from engaging in any activity that aggravates religious tensions. The Election Commission of India’s model code of conduct forbids candidates to “appeal to caste or communal feelings” to secure votes.
In a clear violation of the model code of conduct, Prime Minister and BJP’s star election campaigner Narendra Modi Sunday described Muslim minorities in India as “infiltrators” and “those who have more children.”
The Election Commission of India declined to comment on the hate speech made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against Muslims during BJP’s poll campaign in Rajasthan.
A spokesperson for the Election Commission (EC) said: “We decline comment.”
