Mangaluru: Congress Minority leaders in DK resign en masse over serial murders, Govt inaction
Mangaluru: Several Muslim leaders and office-bearers of the Congress party in Dakshina Kannada district collectively resigned from their posts on Thursday, expressing anger over the recent serial killings in the region and what they called the continued neglect of the Muslim community by the state government.
The resignations were announced during an emergency meeting held at the Shadi Mahal auditorium in Bolar, Mangaluru. Leaders and activists from across the Congress hierarchy — from booth-level workers to district and state office-bearers — were present at the gathering, which saw tense and emotional scenes unfold.
The meeting was held under the leadership of KPCC General Secretary M.S. Mohammed. D.K. District Congress Minority Unit President Shahul Hameed addressed the gathering and expressed frustration over the deteriorating law and order situation in Dakshina Kannada, especially in the wake of the brutal murder of Abdul Rahman, secretary of the Kolathamajalu mosque.
Anger boiled over when party workers stormed the stage and began demanding justice, shouting slogans and pressing the leadership to stand with the community. Despite efforts by senior leaders like M.S. Mohammed, former corporator Abdul Rauf, and Suhail Kandak to calm the agitated crowd, the situation quickly spiralled out of control.
Sources said the leaders had initially planned to postpone their resignation for a week and adopt a wait-and-watch approach. However, this change in stance led to outrage among the workers, who accused the leadership of backtracking and failing to take a firm stand.
The hall soon descended into chaos, with shouting and commotion making it nearly impossible to continue the proceedings. Facing intense pressure from the grassroots workers, the leaders gave in and began announcing their resignations publicly.
Suhail Kandak was the first to step down from his post, setting off a chain reaction. One by one, other leaders including Shahul Hameed and M.S. Mohammed followed suit, declaring their resignations from their respective party roles. The collective resignations were seen as a strong message to both the Congress leadership and the state government.
The mass resignation comes amid heightened tensions in Dakshina Kannada following a series of targeted killings, with many alleging a pattern of communal violence and selective inaction.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
