Mangaluru: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar on Saturday said there are chances of his party winning this time in the coastal belt in the forthcoming Parliamentary elections. Addressing reporters, Shivakumar, who is here to participate in the state-level party convention of workers ahead of the coming Lok Sabha polls, said there is potential for change in politics, and there are visible changes in the attitude of people in the coastal areas.
He said that the issues of unemployment and business stagnation in coastal Karnataka will be addressed by the ruling Congress.
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Shivakumar said the BJP had failed to take up development works in the region though they have been representing the Dakshina Kannada constituency for a long period. Congress has plans to introduce innovative ideas and initiatives to stimulate economic growth and job creation in the coastal region, he added.
On the controversy over the removal of a teacher from her post at St Gerosa school in the city, he said appropriate legal action will be taken as per law. He defended the allocation of funds to minority communities, stating it as a necessary step towards equitable development.
The senior Congress leader said the candidate for Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency will be announced after obtaining the results of an internal party survey.
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Bengaluru: Minister Zameer Ahmed has responded to reports of Muslim community leaders writing to the Congress high command expressing concerns.
Speaking to reporters, he said he had seen the letter in the media and noted that around 15–16 community leaders had written to Rahul Gandhi, as well as to the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and Mallikarjun Kharge.
“They have expressed their views. If you want to know their opinion, you should ask them. I cannot speak on their behalf,” he said.
Stressing that there is no discrimination, Zameer Ahmed said everyone is being treated equally. “Since those who wrote the letter are community leaders, the reasons behind it should be asked to them directly,” he added.
He also said that different leaders express different views. “One person may speak in my favour, another may speak for someone else. There is no need to consider all that,” he said, referring to discussions around leaders like Abdul Jabbar and Naseer Ahmed.
On the issue concerning Naseer Ahmed, Zameer Ahmed said he is a senior leader and that if any anti-party activity was involved, due process should have been followed. “There is a procedure, a notice should be issued first, a reply should be obtained, and then action should be taken. This is also the view expressed by Satish Jarkiholi and several others,” he said.
He clarified that he is not saying action against anyone is wrong if anti-party activity is proven, but decisions should follow proper procedure.
Responding to demands that action against Abdul Jabbar and Naseer Ahmed be withdrawn, he said steps should be taken as per rules and that there was a view that immediate action may not have been necessary.
On the mention in the letter about “teaching a lesson” in future elections, he said there is indeed some dissatisfaction among political and community leaders. “We will speak and resolve the issues. Those who have written the letter should be asked directly,” he said.
