Cases against Kannada activists will be withdrawn: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has assured that his government will withdraw the cases filed against those who have fought for the Kannada land and language.
He was speaking on Saturday after inaugurating a grand procession of Bhuvaneshwari and Annamma deities at the city's Mysuru Bank Circle, organised under the leadership of Vatal Nagaraj, president of the Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha, as part of the Kannada Rajyotsava program.
"Vatal is a fighter who does not compromise on the issue of Kannada. Even when Devaraj Urs offered him a ministership, Vatal did not agree to leave the Kannada party and the Kannada struggle," the Chief Minister said in praise.
"We all must cultivate pride and love for the Kannada land, water, language, and culture. We must foster a Kannada atmosphere in our land. For this, no matter what language anyone speaks to you, you must reply in Kannada," Siddaramaiah called upon the people.
"Everyone who has built a life on Kannada soil respects the Kannada environment. Let's take an oath that we will speak in Kannada on Kannada land. May everyone feel the pride that this is our land, our soil, our water, our language," the Chief Minister said.
Responding to the demand by Vatal Nagaraj and Sa.Ra. Govindu to confer a posthumous doctorate on Devaraj Urs from the University of Mysore, the Chief Minister assured that he would discuss the matter with the syndicate members.
"Mysore University had offered me a doctorate in the past. But I did not accept it. I said no. It is my personal feeling that one should earn a doctorate by studying and expanding one's knowledge," the Chief Minister stated.
In favor of two-language policy: "I am personally in favor of a two-language policy. However, for a two-language policy to be implemented as law, it needs to be discussed in the cabinet meeting," Siddaramaiah said on this occasion.
"The members of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (M.E.S) are Kannadigas. If any of them create mischief, we will quell it. The government is ready to do everything necessary for the development of Kannada schools in the border areas," he said.
Belagavi is a part of Karnataka: "There is no compromise on the Belagavi issue. The Mahajan report is final. Belagavi is Kannada land, a part of Karnataka. No one can deny this," the Chief Minister clarified.
Vatal Nagaraj, President of Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha, Sa.Ra. Govindu, President of Dr. Rajkumar Fans' Association, and others were present at the event.
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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.
