Rai, a popular leader, wins over a margin of 30K votes: Sanjeev Poojary
Bantwala, May 4: Ramanath Rai is a popular leader in the constituency and he would win the election by a margin 30,000 votes due to his development works he has done in the constituency, Assembly constituency Congress Campaigning Committee president Sanjeev Poojary.
Speaking on the preparation of the party on the election here on Friday, he said that unable to tolerate the development works in Bantwala constituency, BJP leader Harikrishna Bantwal has been making false allegations against Rai to tarnish his image. But people of the constituency were aware of the fact, he said.
Both Congress and Rai had contributed a much for the welfare of the Billava community. In view of this, Billava community is supporting the Congress. Hailed from Billava community, BJP leader has failed to contribute anything for the community. But he is speaking against Rai and Janardhana Poojary. Because of anti-party activities, Harikrishna was expelled from the Congress, he said.
Based on his achievements and works in his political career, Rai would once again win the election. He has involved in politics for the last 40 years. Compared to other constituencies in the district, Rai has done good development works in the constituency, he said.
Though some Billava leaders were the aspirants of BJP tickets in some constituencies, Harikrishna did nothing to get them the tickets. BJP has been misusing the Billava community just for achieving Hindutva agenda. But Harikrishna is not questioning this. People of the community have understood this hypocrisy. As a result, Billava community youth have been joining the Congress, he said.
Contributions of Rai
Rai and Congress were instrumental in establishing Brahmashri Narayana Guru Study Centre at Mangalore University, Deyi Baidedi herbal plant at Gejjegiri Nandanabittili, naming the BC Road circle after Narayana Guru, financial assistance to majority of Billava community halls in the district, loan waiver of Murtedar Society and others.
On the basis of the recommendation of Rai and Janardhana Poojary, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced the Jayanti of Sri Narayana Guru as a public holiday and the community would never forget this decision. Congress has given various positions to Billava leaders, he claimed.
Both Rai and Janardhana Poojary have never criticized another religion. They have good relationship with people of all religions, he said.
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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
