Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jun 21: Addressing a press conference at the district Congress office here on Tuesday June 20, president of district women's Congress, Shalet Pinto, said that she supports the instruction given by minister Ramanath Rai, to the district superintendent of police (SP) to arrest Kallladka Prabhakar Bhat for disturbing communal harmony in the district. She also challenged MP, Shobha Karandlaje, to fight an election opposite Rai and win it if she has the potential, instead of criticizing Rai.

She reasoned that BJP leaders are raking up one issue or the other and creating disturbances as election is approaching. She accused them of twisting statements of Congress leaders and spreading rumours through social websites for creating communal frictions.

City mayor, Kavita Sanil, zilla panchayat member, Mamata Gatti, Pratibha Kulai of women's Congress, Appi, Nagaveni and several others were present.

In a separate press conference, president of district Congress backward classes division, Dharanendra Kumar, said that incidents which tarnish the image of the district are happening at Kalladka and that Prabhakar Bhat, who indulges in wrongdoings behind the facade of HIndutva needs to be acted against strictly. He supported Rai for ordering Bhat's arrest.

Congress leaders, Prathviraj, Vishwas Kumar Das, Dhanraj, Shekhar, and others were present.

In another press conference held at Bantwal, zilla panchayat member, Chandraprakash Shetty, supported Ramanath Rai's stance and said that those who deliver provocative speeches should be put behind bars. He said Rai does not need to create a rift between communities as alleged through devious means, as he commands love and respect everywhere. He accused Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat of having a leaning towards criminal activities and termed the building standing at Kalladka as Sri Rama commercial complex, and not Rama Mandir. He said he possesses proof about Bhat's provocative addresses at Uppinangady, Sullia, and Gurpur. Accusing the Sangh Parivar of having a hand in several cases of murders in the district in the past, he demanded re-investigation of all the murders which had happened over the last some years.

Shetty denied the allegation that Rai had instructed the police officer to arrest anti Yettinahole project activists."Rai only questioned the SP about not transferring certain police personnel on the basis of the list he had provided earlier," he clarified.

Speaking on the occasion, another Congress leader, Janardhana Chandtimar, said that the video involving the minister and SP had been edited by deleting certain portions to suit the convenience of vested interests.

B H Khader of Karnataka Cashew Development Corporation, zilla panchayat member, B Padmashekhara Jain, and several other leaders were present.