Udupi: Udupi District Congress Minority Division President Sharfuddeen Sheikh Majoor has accused MLA Yashpal Suvarna of attempting to deflect attention from alleged financial irregularities at Mahalakshmi Co-operative Bank by shifting the focus to the waqf land issue. In a statement issued on Friday, Sheikh Majoor criticized Suvarna’s recent public protests, asserting they were a means to avoid scrutiny over the alleged mismanagement at the bank.

According to Majoor, Suvarna has faced allegations regarding his involvement in financial misappropriations at the Malpe-based Mahalakshmi Co-operative Bank, where irregularities reportedly amount to ₹20 crore. Customers have alleged that they received loans of only ₹20,000 from the bank, which later demanded repayment on loans of up to ₹2 lakh without proper documentation.

Majoor claimed that Suvarna was resorting to “diversion tactics” by making unsubstantiated accusations against the Muslim community under the guise of waqf-related issues. "By staging protests and storming into the Deputy Commissioner’s office, Suvarna is attempting to draw public attention away from the bank scandal," said Majoor.

Highlighting the BJP’s stance on waqf encroachments, Majoor pointed out that the previous BJP-led government had issued numerous notices to farmers regarding alleged encroachments of waqf land, a policy mentioned in the party’s 2014 Lok Sabha election manifesto.

The Congress leader further added that the people of Karnataka are aware of Suvarna’s tactics and the underlying intentions of his protests.

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Pune, Dec 9: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Monday alleged that injustice was being meted out to Marathi-speaking people in Belagavi in Karnataka, demanding that the region be declared a Union Territory.

Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Thackeray said while celebrations are underway over the formation of the new government in Maharashtra, the situation was deteriorating in Belagavi in the neighbouring state.

As the winter session of the Karnataka assembly begins on Monday, members of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti are opposing it. The outfit organised a congregation in Belagavi, but the Karnataka government allegedly prohibited the gathering and banned leaders from Maharashtra from entering the state.

"Marathi-speaking people in Belagavi are being suppressed. Since yesterday, the situation has been deteriorating in the region. Our party workers are being detained. The previous 'unconstitutional' chief minister had promised that they would give extra funds to the Marathi-speaking people living in the disputed territory. What happened to that assurance?" the MLA asked.

He questioned whether the BJP-led government in the Centre was willing to declare Belgavi as a Union Territory.

"Our demand was and is that Belagavi should be declared a Union Territory," he added.