Rai to lead ’harmony walk’ from Farangipete to Mani on Dec 12

Rai to lead ’harmony walk’ from Farangipete to Mani on Dec 12

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Dec 10, 2017: The District In-Charge Minister B Ramanath Rai is to lead a ‘Samarasayada Nadige Sauharadadedege’ from Farangipete to Mani in Bantwal taluk on December 12.

Briefing media on Saturday, Mr Rai said leaders and members of various secular parties like CPI, CPM, like-minded organisations, like Dalit Sangharash Samiti, Raitha Sangha, Tulunada Rakshana Vedike and other secular organisations, will take part in the walk.

Rai said the move is part of a promise he had made at a peace committee meeting in August when the district had witnessed communal flare-ups in July and August. The walk will be apolitical in nature, he added.

The valedictory of the harmony march will be held at Mani. A stage is named after Harish Poojary who was murdered by Hindu outfits on November 12, 2015. CPM leader Sriram Reddy, CPI leader Siddalinga Gowda Patil, leader Dr L Hanumanthaiah and multi-lingual actor Prakash Rai will take part in the programme.

He said there will no traffic disruption on the highway due to the harmony walk and it will not affect the pedestrians too.  “We will walk on one side of the road without any slogans and provocative messages,” he clarified.

As a preparation to the walk, the meeting of the like-minded organisations was held at Puttur, Sullia, Bantwal, Belthangady, Mani and Farangipete. All the secular organisations are welcome to take part in the walk, he stated.

Rai said harmony should be a continuous process. The message of communal harmony should be passed on to the future generations, he remarked.

There is no political mileage from the walk. It is only for restoration of communal harmony and peace in the district. The theme of the harmony walk is “Jothe Jotheyalli Nnadeyona”, he added.

Though communal harmony was deep rooted in the soil of Dakshina Kannada, it is disrupted in the recent past owing to various reasons, he noted.

To a question on why JD(S) is not part of the harmony walk, Rai said the JD(S) has taken part in the preparatory meeting. “I don’t know why they backed out of the harmony walk,” he said.

Minister for Food and Civil Supplies U T Khader said the walk is being organised to portray unity and brotherhood in the society. The people of the district should unitedly support the cause, he said.