BJP looks to capitalise on Shah's visit to Dakshina Kannada
Mangaluru (PTI): The ruling BJP in Karnataka has made all arrangements to capitalise on the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to the communally volatile Dakshina Kannada district on Saturday.
Though his visit is official in his capacity as the first Union Minister for Co-operation, the BJP sees an opportunity to turn his visit into a campaign for the Assembly elections in the state due in May.
The official function of Shah is the inauguration of the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Co-operative limited (CAMPCO) in Puttur.
Later, he is scheduled to inaugurate the Bharat Mata Mandir built by Dharmashree Pratisthan at Hanumagiri, which is the second temple in south India for Bharat Mata after the one in Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.
Dharmashree Pratisthan sources said the temple has been constructed at a cost of Rs 3 crore with the objective of inculcating a sense of patriotic feeling among the people.
The BJP plans to ensure the participation of at least one lakh people for the function, party sources said.
Shah will garland the statue of Bharat Mata and later pay floral tributes at the Amar Jawan Jyoti in Puttur. He will also visit Hanumagiri temple at Ishwaramangala and offer worship.
The BJP is planning to use the visit as the start of their election campaign in the district, often described as the party's 'Hindutva laboratory' in Karnataka. One of the most communally polarised districts in the state, Dakshina Kannada had last year witnessed murders along communal lines.
The murder of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leader Praveen Nettaru in July last year, followed by the killing of Fazil at Surathkal had further fuelled the communal conflict in the region.
As Shah had not visited the district in the recent past, the BJP wants to extract maximum political mileage out of the visit of the party's top leader.
In the last Assembly elections, BJP had won seven out of eight seats in Dakshina Kannada. The lone winner for Congress was U T Khader in Mangaluru segment. The party had also won the Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha seat through its present state president Nalin Kumar Kateel.
The seats from the district are crucial for BJP to retain its hold in the coastal belt, while the opposition Congress is struggling hard to regain its lost glory in the region.
Congress leader and former MLC Ivan D'Souza has asked BJP leaders to apprise the Union minister about the pathetic condition of roads in the district. "We want the minister to talk about development instead of conducting road shows," he said at a press meet here on Thursday.
All official arrangements are being made to ensure security for the Union Home Minister's visit. ADGP (law and order) Alok Kumar, IGP (western range) Chandragupta and district superintendent of police Vikram Amathe are overseeing the security arrangements.
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Elephant calf brought from Bijnor kept under care at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve
Pilibhit (PTI): A 19-day-old elephant calf, brought from Bijnor, was placed under care at the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) on Sunday, an official said and added that the calf got separated from its mother in the forest area of Bijnor.
The calf was born on December 2 in the Bijnor forest area and got separated from its mother shortly after birth, the official said.
The forest department made several attempts to reunite it with its mother, but without any success. To ensure the calf's safety and better care, it was decided to transfer it to the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve on the instructions of senior officials.
On Saturday, Deputy Director Manish Singh received the calf. Special arrangements have been made in the reserve for its care. It has been kept in a safe and clean environment to provide it with a natural setting and protect it from external noise and disturbances.
Singh told reporters that raising an 19-day-old calf is challenging.
It requires a special diet as a substitute for mother's milk and constant monitoring.
He said a special team has been formed to provide 24-hour care. Since the calf is very young, it is being cared for like a newborn baby.
According to Singh, the primary responsibility for monitoring the calf's health has been entrusted to PTR's veterinarian, Dr Daksh Gangwar. Under his supervision, a complete record of the calf's health checkups, diet, and body temperature is being maintained. The team is ensuring that the calf does not contract any infection.
