MA Yusuf Ali of Lulu group caught in Kerala CPM feud?

May 27, 2013
Thiruvananthapuram, May 27: Two prominent Middle East-based businessmen who hail from Kerala appear to be caught in the factional feud of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in Kerala.

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The Ernakulam unit of the CPI-M has accused MA Yusuf Ali, owner of the Emke Group, of encroaching upon the government land for his Rs 1600-crore Lulu Shopping Mall project here that opened in March this year.

The Ernakulam district committee of CPI-M is believed to have allegiance to the party's state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, while Ali is said to be in the good books of former chief minister VS Achuthanandan, who is believed to be leading the opposing faction of the party.

"All the sanctions for the shopping mall were given while the previous Left government of Achuthanandan was in power," said Kochi's Mayor Tony Chammany.

Another of Ali's major trouble relates to the 10.59 hectare of land in Kochi, around 200 km from here, on which Ali was planning to build a state-of-the-art convention centre and other facilities.

The plot was allotted to the businessman through an open bid and tender process initiated by the Cochin Port Trust. It was leased out to Ali in November 2010 for a sum of Rs 72 crore for 30 years.

Following the allegation of encroachment by the CPI-M's Ernakulam district committee, Ali told media persons in Dubai that he was deeply hurt by it.

"I have always taken the lead to promote Kerala to leading investors of the world. This statement has deeply pained me," Ali said.

He also announced that he was backing out from the convention centre project, and that he would invest in another state, according to a report.

"We welcome the decision of Ali to back out of the convention centre project, and hope that the land would be handed back to the Cochin Port Trust," CPI-M Ernakulam secretary Dinesh Moni said.

The other Middle East-based businessman who has been caught in the crossfire between the two CPI-M factions is Ravi Pillai, owner of plush hotels at popular tourist destinations Kovalam and Kollam in the state.

While the CPI-M faction led by Vijayan is completely mum over the allotment of a parcel of land to Pillai near his Kovalam project, Achuthanandan has raised a red flag over the deal.

In a press release here on Saturday, Achuthanandan said the 16 hectare of prime land belonged to the government.

"This is a blatant violation of the law of the land which the state government has done, and if need be I will not hesitate to take legal action against this," the veteran Marxist leader said.

However, CPI-M politburo member MA Baby denied any tussle was ongoing between the party factions led by Vijayan and Achuthanandan. He termed it as a wild imagination of the media.

"The media has to come out with juicy and spicy reports. The truth is that every district committee of the party takes up an issue based on the situation and so do leaders. There is nothing beyond that," Baby told media persons

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December 2,2025

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Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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News Network
December 3,2025

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Mangaluru, Dec 3: A group of Congress workers gathered at the Mangaluru International Airport on Wednesday to welcome AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, but the reception quickly turned into a display of support for Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.

Venugopal arrived in the city to participate in the centenary commemoration of the historic dialogue between Mahatma Gandhi and Narayana Guru. The event, organised by the Sivagiri Mutt, Varkala, in association with the Mangalore University Sri Narayana Guru Study Chair, is being held on the university’s Konaje campus.

KPCC general secretary Mithun Rai and several party workers had assembled at the airport to receive Venugopal. However, the moment he stepped out, workers began raising slogans backing Shivakumar.

The university programme will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

This show of support comes just a day after Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar would lead the government “when the high command decides.” The chief minister made the comment after a breakfast meeting at Shivakumar’s residence—another public display of camaraderie between the two leaders amid ongoing attempts by the party high command to downplay their leadership rivalry.

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coastaldigest.com news network
November 29,2025

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Mangaluru, Nov 29: Around 12,500 healthcare students from Medical, Dental, AYUSH, Pharmacy, Nursing, Physiotherapy and Allied Health Sciences colleges of Dakshina Kannada, affiliated to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), took part in a massive walkathon to promote awareness on Organ Donation and Nasha Mukth Bharat.

The inaugural ceremony was held at Mangala Stadium. Dr Bhagavan B C, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of RGUHS, delivered the welcome address. The walkathon was flagged off by Shri U T Khader, Hon’ble Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, and presided over by Shri Dinesh Gundu Rao, Hon’ble Minister for Health, Family Welfare and Dakshina Kannada District In-charge. Dakshina Kannada MP Shri Brijesh Chowta also addressed the students.

Music director Guru Kiran, MLA Dr Bharat Shetty (Mangalore North), Police Commissioner Shri Sudheer Kumar Reddy, Shri Manjunath Bhandary and Shri Harish Kumar were among those present.

Institution heads including Dr Haji U K Monu (Kanachur Colleges), Dr Shantharam Shetty (Tejaswini College), Dr Bhaskar Shetty (City Group of Colleges), Mr Abdul Rahiman (Kanachur Institute of Medical Sciences), and the District Health Officer, Mangalore, also participated.

The vote of thanks was delivered by Prof U T Ifthikar Fareed, Syndicate Member, RGUHS.

The event was organised by Dr U T Ifthikar Ali and Dr Shiva Sharan (Syndicate Members), Prof Vaishali (Senate Member), Prof Mohammad Suhail (Chairman, BOS Physiotherapy), Dr Sharan Shetty (Former Senate Member), along with principals and faculty of various colleges.

Students marched from Mangala Stadium to Karavali Grounds via MCC and Lalbagh signal. The event set a record as one of the largest gatherings of healthcare students for a social cause in the RGUHS Dakshina Kannada Zone.

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