Stating that the walk for harmony led by B. Ramanath Rai, Minister in-charge of Dakshina Kannada, reflected the failure of the State government in maintaining harmony in the district, Nalin Kumar Kateel, Member of Parliament, said on Tuesday that it was aimed at gaining political advantage for the Minister in the next election in his Bantwal Assembly constituency.
Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Kateel questioned the Minister leading the walk only from Farangipet to Mani in Bantwal Assembly constituency. It also reflected that the law and order and communal harmony in the constituency represented by him were not in proper order.
Asking the Minister whether he was the Minister for the entire Dakshina Kannada or only for Bantwal, the MP said that if the Minister was interested in promoting harmony in the district, he should have taken out the padayatra from Mangaluru to Sampaje bordering Kodagu district. He should do it, Mr. Kateel said.
The MP said that the Minister had joined hands with the Communist Party of India (Marxists) in taking out the walk which Mr. Kateel said has been indulging in “political murders” in Kerala.
Though none of the parties are into “political murders” in Dakshina Kannada, the CPI (M), he said, was known for it [political murder] in Kerala. Hence, the objective of the padayatra led by the Minister was questionable, he said.
“The padayatra is nothing but a drama to corner votes of a particular community,” he said.
The MP said that the Minister should have organised a debate to find out the cause for communal troubles in Dakshina Kannada by inviting all parties. One should go deep into the reasons for the troubles and those issues should be settled once and for all. None wanted communal trouble in the district.
Referring to the death of Paresh Mesta, a Sangh Parivar activist, in Honnavar in Uttara Kannada, the MP said that it was a murder.
He sought investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into what he called murder. The matter would be raised in the Lok Sabha.
Mr. Kateel said that the BJP has planned to hold a protest in Honnavar on December 18 against the killing of the activist.