BJP MLA Anil Benake against curbs on non-Hindu traders during fairs in temples
Belagavi, Mar 28: In the wake of denial of permission to non-Hindu traders and vendors to carry on business during annual temple fairs and religious events in some parts of Karnataka, BJP legislator Anil Benake on Monday said everyone can ply his or her trade and that it is for the people to decide where to buy what.
The MLA from Belagavi north cited the Constitution to drive home the point.
"There is no question of imposing any restrictions during the temple fair, we will not impose, but if people do, we can't do anything.
We will not allow it (imposition of restrictions)," Benake told reporters here.
Stating that it is wrong to tell people where to purchase and where not to, he said the Constitution advocates equal opportunity to all.
"Everyone has the opportunity to carry out their activities, but people have to become clever. People have to decide where to buy what," he added.
Initially, banners were placed during the annual Kaup Marigudi festival in Udupi district. They said non-Hindu vendors and traders should not be allowed entry, and the temple management paid heed to the request of certain pro-Hindu organisations.
Later, similar banners were displayed at Padubidri temple festival also, and at a couple of temples in Dakshina Kannada district as well.
Some Hindu activists have submitted memoranda to officials in different parts of the State citing the Karnataka Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, 1997.
When the matter came up in the Legislative Assembly recently, the BJP government sought to distance itself from it by citing a rule which states that no property, including land, building near the place of worship shall be leased to non-Hindus.
However, clarifying that the rule does not apply to street vendors outside the temple precincts and that action would be taken if that rule is not followed, the government said it would look into it and the ground reality before taking any further step.
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Assam to lift all cases against Koch Rajbongshis in Foreigners' Tribunals: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Guwahati, Apr 4 (PTI): The Assam cabinet has decided to lift all cases pending against people from the Koch Rajbongshi community in the Foreigners' Tribunals, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.
They will also no longer carry the tag of 'D' or doubtful voters, he said.
''There are 28,000 cases pending in different Foreigners' Tribunals in the state against people of the community. The cabinet has taken a historic decision of lifting the cases with immediate effect,'' Sarma said at a press conference here after the cabinet meeting.
The government believes that the Koch Rajbongshis are an indigenous community of the state and they are an inextricable part of ''our social and cultural fabric'', he asserted.
The people of this community are poor and have suffered a lot over the years, he said.
''They will no longer carry the tag of foreigners or ‘D’ voters,'' the CM said.
Foreigners Tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies, particularly in Assam, established to determine if a person residing in India is a "foreigner" as defined by the Foreigners Act of 1946, based on the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964.
These tribunals are designed to address matters related to citizenship and the presence of “foreigners” in India, specifically focusing on cases where someone is suspected of being an illegal immigrant.
There are 100 Foreigners’ Tribunals across Assam.
The Koch Rajbongshis have a sizeable presence in Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and parts of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, and they demand Scheduled Tribe status.
