Must not allow communal exclusion in Karnataka: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Bengaluru(PTI): With Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw requesting him to resolve "growing religious divide" in Karnataka, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday called upon all sections of society to observe restraint before going public on social issues, as they can be resolved through discussions.
He said Karnataka is known for peace and progress and sought cooperation from everyone in maintaining it, as Mazumdar-Shaw, while pointing out that the State has always forged inclusive economic development, expressed worry that if IT/ BT sectors became communal it would destroy its global leadership.
"Karnataka has always forged inclusive economic development and we must not allow such communal exclusion- If ITBT became communal it would destroy our global leadership. @BSBommai please resolve this growing religious divide," she said.
Her tweet was in response to incidents of denial of permission to non-Hindu traders and vendors to carry on business around temples during annual temple fairs and religious events in some parts of the state.
Responding to a question on the tweet, Bommai said, "Several issues have come up for discussion in the State, the issue on uniform for students has been decided by the High Court. On other issues my appeal to those concerned is that we have been leading our lives all these years, based on our beliefs. Everyone should cooperate in maintaining peace and order."
"Karnataka is known for peace and progress, and every one should observe restraint and see to it that it is not affected. When social issues arise, there is a possibility for us to discuss and resolve it.
So before going public, everyone should observe restraint," he added.
Initially, banners were placed during the annual Kaup Marigudi festival in Udupi district, which 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.
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.
Also, recently some right-wing groups have given a call to boycott halal meat, ahead of 'varshadodaku', the day after Ugadi when many communities in the state have a non-vegetarian feast.
BJP national general secretary C T Ravi on Tuesday called halal food "economic jihad".
Karnataka has always forged inclusive economic development and we must not allow such communal exclusion- If ITBT became communal it would destroy our global leadership. @BSBommai please resolve this growing religious divide🙏 https://t.co/0PINcbUtwG
— Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (@kiranshaw) March 30, 2022
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Standing firmly with armed forces; time for unity, solidarity: Congress
New Delhi(PTI): This is a time for unity and solidarity and the Congress is standing firmly with the armed forces, the party said on Wednesday as Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said India's commitment to eliminating all sources of terrorism in Pakistan and PoK has necessarily to be uncompromising and always be anchored in the supreme national interest.
"This is a time for unity and solidarity. Right from the night of April 22nd, the Congress has been categorically stating that the government will have our fullest support in the nation's response to the Pahalgam terror attack," he said.
"The Congress is standing firmly with our armed forces," Ramesh said on X, using the hashtag "Operation Sindoor".
In retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes early Wednesday on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base Muridke.
The military strikes were carried out under Operation Sindoor two weeks after the massacre of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.
"A little while ago, the Indian armed forces launched 'Operation Sindoor' hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed," the defence ministry said in a statement at 1.44 am.
It said the actions by the Indian armed forces have been "focused, measured and non-escalatory" in nature and that no Pakistani military facilities have been targeted.
"प्रहाराय सन्निहिताः, जयाय प्रशिक्षिताः"
— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) May 6, 2025
Ready to Strike, Trained to Win.#IndianArmy pic.twitter.com/M9CA9dv1Xx
