Congress panel submits report on coastal Karnataka communal tensions
Bengaluru, Jun 19 (PTI): A Congress-appointed fact-finding committee has recommended a holistic and multi-pronged approach, including socio-cultural interventions to address the vitiated communal atmosphere prevailing in coastal Karnataka.
The committee headed by Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain on Thursday submitted its report to Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.
The committee, formed by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), comprises Manjunath Bhandary, V R Sudarshan, and senior leaders Kimmane Ratnakar, Jayaprakash Hegde, N A Harris, and Roji M John.
It examined the developments of the past two decades in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Uttara Kannada districts.
Addressing reporters, Hussain said, “We have submitted a confidential report to Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who also serves as KPCC president. He will take it up with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Home Minister G Parameshwara, and Law Minister H K Patil.”
He clarified that the panel’s mandate was not to probe specific incidents but to study the overall communal atmosphere in the region, which he described as “vitiated.”
“Admissions to educational institutions have dropped, and economic activities have declined. The Chamber of Commerce has flagged concerns. Business establishments close by 7 pm. Hate speeches and provocations have created an atmosphere of fear.”
Accordiong to Hussain, both the majority and minority communities were contributing to escalating tensions in the coastal belt through their provocative actions.
“A type of vitiated atmosphere is prevailing. So we went there to assess the situation holistically,” he said, adding that the committee has also made key recommendations.
“We’ve suggested administrative actions, socio-cultural interventions, ways to strengthen the party, and political strategies that can be implemented,” he explained.
Underscoring that mere law-and-order measures or transfer of officials will not suffice, the MP said, “The need of the hour is a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach."
Highlighting the region’s legacy, Hussain said the coastal districts were once hubs of literature, music, education, and banking.
“This progressive and vibrant social fabric is now fraying. We’ve suffered immense loss in terms of human and cultural capital,” he lamented.
The report, he said, is aimed at restoring peace and putting coastal Karnataka back on the path of development.
Deputy CM Shivakumar, who received the report in the presence of the media, said he needed time to study it before commenting.
“I have just received it. I will go through the findings and respond later,” he said.
He, however, blamed the BJP and “various sections’ of the society for disturbing the law and order situation in the coastal region.
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
