Over 35 organizations extend support to Karnataka Bandh on Dec 31

News Network

December 22, 2021

Bengaluru, Dec 22: Several pro-Kannada organisations and transport unions have called for a day-long Karnataka bandh on December 31 demanding a complete ban on the activities of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) in Karnataka over its repeated involvement in "anti-Karnataka and anti-Kannada activities" in the recent times.

Demanding a complete ban on the activities of the MES outfit in Karnataka, the organisations have set a deadline of December 29. “If the state government does not order a ban by December 29, we will go ahead with the Karnataka bandh on December 31,” said Vatal Nagaraj, former MLA and Chairperson of Federation of Pro-Kannada organisations. As many as 35 organisations have extended support for the dawn-to-dusk bandh.

“We request everyone to support our call and come out in large numbers in the interest of Karnataka and Kannada. We do not want any moral or virtual support from anybody but we need actual support by joining us on the Bandh day. This would entirely be apolitical and in the interest of the state,” Vatal Nagaraj told media persons.

According to the organisers, all services barring emergency services would be suspended on December 31. Sources told DH that more than 35,000 autorickshaws, 10,000 taxis including Ola, Uber will remain off the roads as the transport organisations have publicly expressed their support to the bandh.

While more than 35 Kannada and transport organisations have expressed support to the Karnataka Bandh, the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) led by TA Narayana Gowda has distanced itself from the bandh. Making its stand clear, Narayana Gowda told media persons that there are several other methods to register our protest. “Observing Bandh is not the only solution. People have already suffered due to the pandemic.

There are several other ways to express our anguish,” Gowda clarified. However, Gowda said that they would support the growing demand for a total ban on the activities of MES in Karnataka and they would carry out different kind of activities on December 31 across Karnataka.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

‘This is how it began in Gujarat’: Modi outlines BJP’s political ambitions in Kerala

News Network

January 23,2026

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, January 23, indicated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is aiming to expand its political footprint in Kerala ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled in the coming months.

Speaking at a BJP-organised public meeting, Modi drew parallels between the party’s early electoral gains in Gujarat and its recent victory in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation. The civic body win, which ended decades of Left control, was cited by the Prime Minister as a possible starting point for the party’s broader ambitions in the state.

Recalling BJP’s political trajectory in Gujarat, Modi said the party was largely insignificant before 1987 and received little media attention. He pointed out that the BJP’s first major breakthrough came with its victory in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation that year.

“Just as our journey in Gujarat began with one city, Kerala’s journey has also started with a single city,” Modi said, suggesting that the party’s municipal-level success could translate into wider electoral acceptance.

The Prime Minister alleged that successive governments led by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) had failed to adequately develop Thiruvananthapuram. He accused both fronts of corruption and neglect, claiming that basic infrastructure and facilities were denied to the capital city for decades.

According to Modi, the BJP’s control of the civic body represents a shift driven by public dissatisfaction with the existing political alternatives. He asserted that the BJP administration in Thiruvananthapuram had begun working towards development, though no specific details or timelines were outlined.

Addressing the gathering at Putharikandam Maidan, Modi said the BJP intended to project Thiruvananthapuram as a “model city,” reiterating his party’s commitment to governance-led change.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Kerala also included the inauguration of several development projects and the flagging off of new train services, as the BJP intensifies its political outreach in the poll-bound state.

Comments