Protest against Surathkal tollgate a political drama: Karnataka BJP president

MANGALURU: Dakshina Kannada MP and BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel has termed the protest against the Surathkal tollgate as “a political drama”. Kateel alleged that those who were staging protests had not requested then Union minister of road transport and highways, Oscar Fernandes, to not open a tollgate at Surathkal, when the Congress was in power at the Centre.
“It is a political drama, and those who did not raise their voice then, are staging protests now. The government has already started the process of closing the tollgate,” the MP told reporters, after flagging off KSRTC buses from the city to Mangaluru International Airport (MIA), on Tuesday.
Kateel alleged that the Action Committee Against Surathkal Toll Gate is indulging in politics.
“We have no objection to their protest as they have the right to do so in a democracy. There are rules and procedures for the government to follow. I have appealed to the action committee several times, and ensured that the government will close the toll gate legally. Even Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari also announced it in Parliament. However, still they have been holding protests, demanding the closure of the toll gate immediately. It cannot be done in a single day,” the MP said.
In his reaction, convener of the Action Committee Against Surathkal Toll Gate, Muneer Katipalla, said that the MP’s sarcastic remarks of calling the protest a ‘political drama’ will strengthen the morale of protesters.
“The indefinite day and night dharna has already entered the fifth day, and the action committee has been receiving support from all sections of society. Several organisations from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi have been participating in the protest. With MP Nalin Kumar Kateel calling our protest a drama, the agitation will become stronger,” Katipalla said.