Karnataka - Belgaum   

‘Keep Assembly in suspended animation’

EXPRESSING IRE: Congress workers and members of All India Christian Council staging a protest against attacks on churches, in Belgaum on Thursday.

Belgaum: The Belgaum city unit of the Congress, including the Mahila Congress, on Thursday demanded that the Governor recommend President’s Rule in Karnataka by keeping the Legislative Assembly in suspended animation. The Congress unit also demanded the resignation of Home Minister V.S. Acharya on moral grounds owning responsibility for the failure of the BJP Government to prevent attacks on churches in Mangalore, Udupi and other parts of the State.

Belgaum District Congress Committee president S.S. Bheemannavar, city unit president Babulal Bagwan and Karnataka State Seva Dal organising secretary R.K. Chalawadi, who led a procession of party workers and later submitted a memorandum addressed to the Governor to the Deputy Commissioner, said the violence against institutions such as churches and places of worships of Christians was a “black spot” on the State’s peaceful existence.

The violence perpetuated by pro-RSS activists belonging to Hindu organisations had created a sense of insecurity among the community, they added.

The attacks show that the Government had no control over law and order and was incapable of giving good governance to the people and therefore, had no right to continue in office, they said.

The Congress leaders condemned Sri Rama Sena leaders who had publicly claimed responsibility for the attacks. They said the Sri Rama Sena leaders had created communal disharmony at the cost of peace, tranquillity and law and order in the state. Also, the Congress urged the Speaker to disqualify BJP’s Lok Sabha member from Belgaum Suresh C. Angadi for his “highly irresponsible” and “outrageous” remarks against President Pratibha Patil made at a government-organised function in Hunnargi recently.

Mr. Angadi had described Ms. Patil as a “figure head” wanted by the Congress to occupy the President’s chair to suit its own convenience while denying a second term for former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

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