Bengaluru: Kollur temple cannot supply mid-day meals to the students of Kalladka Sri Rama School. But it will be checked weather mid-day meals can be supplied under the government scheme, said minister for Textiles and Muzrai Rudrappa Manappa Lamani.

On Tuesday, replying the query from BJP MLA Poojary in Legislative council, Lamani said, the fund coming from Kollur temple is dedicated to the welfare of religious places and not for other reasons.

The school management can send a request to the state government for the supply of mid-day meals to the school children. The government can consider the supply of mid-day meals on par with other government schools,'' the minister said.

Disappointed with minister's reply, the BJP members rushed into the well of the House and staged a dharna demanding the restoration of mid-day meals to Kalladka Sri Rama School.

Legislative Council Chairman DH Shankaramurthy asked the protesting MLCs to take their seats. At this juncture, the Chairman adjourned the House for 30 minutes.

Later, the BJP members were calmed after Minister M R Seetharam assured them of taking the issue to the Chief Minister's notice.  

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Shimla (PTI): A delegation of the Himachal Congress Minority Morcha apprised the party's central leaders on Thursday of the atmosphere of fear created in the state by targeting a particular community and staging demonstrations near mosques.

The delegation led by Iqbal Mohammad, president of the state Congress Minority Morcha, also comprised imams of various mosques. It met with Congress general secretary K C Venugopal and its Minority Morcha national president Imran Pratapgarhi in New Delhi.

In a statement here, the state Congress Minority Morcha said the situation has become tense due to demonstrations by Hindu outfits in front of mosques and efforts were being made to vitiate the atmosphere and instill fear among Muslims.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is trying to take people of all religions along but some elements are trying to spoil the atmosphere and malign the government, it added.

According to the statement, Venugopal spoke to the chief minister over the phone over the issue.

Ten people were injured during a protest demanding the demolition of a portion of a mosque in Shimla's Sanjauli area last week. In Mandi, police used water cannons on protestors demanding the demolition of an unauthorised portion of a mosque in the town.

On Tuesday, residents of Kasumpti in Shimla submitted a memorandum to demolish a mosque in the area and similar demands are also coming in from Sunni and other areas in the state.

A dispute between a barber from the minority community and a local businessman in the Malyana area in the suburbs of Shimla on August 30 turned into a communal issue with Hindu groups demanding the demolition of unauthorised mosques and residents calling for the identification and verification of outsiders coming in the state.