UTK justifies Mithun Rai’s religious touch to poll campaign

coastaldigest.com news network

April 12, 2019

Mangaluru, Apr 12: Congress leader and urban development minister U T Khader has justified the religious beliefs of Dakshina Kannada Congress candidate Mithun Rai, saying it is wrong to consider recitation of a verse from Hanuman Chalisa during poll campaign as the party’s soft Hindutva policy.

Addressing a press conference at the Dakshina Kannada Pradesh Congress Committee office, Mr. Khader said that Mr. Rai has faith in Hanuman Chalisa and has been chanting it before the start of his speech during campaign.

“There is nothing wrong in reciting (a verse of) Hanuman Chalisa or one from the Quran,” he said.

Mr. Khader said that Mr. Rai believes in secular principles of the party. The Congress continues to be vocal against Hindu and Muslim fundamentalist groups which are trying to create unrest in society, he said.

Mr. Khader said that he was confident of diligent voters in the region preferring Mr. Rai as their Member of Parliament. Mr. Rai can effectively take up issues of the region in Parliament than Nalin Kumar Kateel did.

The promise of paying Rs. 6,000 per month to the poor and other assurances made in the Congress manifesto were close to the aspirations of the people than those that were mentioned in BJP manifesto, Mr. Khader said.

Dakshina Kannada Pradesh Congress Committee president K. Harish Kumar was present.

Comments

did this khader ever talk about the chaddi who insulted our beloved prophet...i recently saw this man swinging idol of hindu...this man is not muslim...just name sake muslim....he sold his imman to this dunya...power is not important..god can take any time....idol worshipper will never enter heaven this is very clear in quran...

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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