Nafees Fazal quits Congress, slams party’s Muslim leaders, praises PM Modi

March 29, 2017

Bengaluru, Mar 29: Veteran Congress leader Nafees Fazal, who was Medical Education Minister in the cabinet of former chief minister S.M. Krishna, has resigned from the primary membership of the party.

Fazal, who started her political career with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1978, is exploring the option of joining the BJP considering she has a good rapport with Krishna recently joined the saffron party. She said that she had plans to join the BJP a decade ago when D V Sadananda Gowda was the party president. "I have suffered in the Congress for 10 years,'' she added.

She is the second person to raise the banner of revolt against the Congress this week; on Monday, senior partyman M V Rajashekaran praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies.

“I was humiliated by Muslim leaders in the party as our Chief Minister, being new to the party, gave them a free hand. Some of the central leaders have no time to hear party workers’ grievances,” Fazal stated in her resignation letter sent to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

She said that AICC Vice-president Rahul Gandhi humiliated her when she met him last year with a request to nominate her as a Member of Legislative Council considering her social work, especially in helping poor patients.

“He was very angry and irritated as I had mentioned Dr Devi Shetty’s name on my resume. How can he do that?” she said.

“With your blessing I was the first Muslim woman to be made a minister in Karnataka. Reasons best known to you, I was unable to get an appointment to meet you and share my grievances with you,” she stated in the letter.

Meanwhile, in an interview, Fazal said that all parties, except the Congress, had taken a stand on the talaq issue. "I like Modi because he has taken up the cause of Muslim women who are not against divorce but would like it to be as prescribed in the Quran,'' she added.

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Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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