‘It is govt. responsibility to offer protection for rally’

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Sep 4,2017: It is the responsibility of the State government to provide protection to any democratic way of protest, including the Mangaluru Chalo rally planned by Bharatiya Janata Party members, MP Nalin Kumar Kateel has said.

Reiterating the resolve to continue with the Mangaluru Chalo motorcycle rally disregarding demands to call it off, Mr. Kateel told reporters here on Sunday that the State government was duty bound to provide protection to all those taking part in the BJP Yuva Morcha’s Mangaluru Chalo rally.

“What we are doing is a peaceful and democratic way of protest. The government should provide protection to us in the same way as our government did when the Congress took out a protest rally to Ballari (in 2010),” Mr. Kateel said.

The motorcycle rally was to demand action against the Karnataka Forum of Dignity and the People’s Front of India whose activists are involved in a number of attacks and murders, he added.

MLC Ganesh Karnik said that while delaying decision on allowing the rally from different parts of the State, the government was threatening the owners of halls en route against allowing BJP activists to stay on their premises.

“This is an indirect way of curtailing our protest,” Mr. Karnik said and added that an owner of the marriage hall in Sullia has received a notice from the Sullia police asking him not to allow BJP workers stay on his premises.

Mr. Karnik said that such threats will not in any way prevent them from taking out the rally that will start in different parts of the State on September 5. Those taking part in the rally will be provided shelter in the houses of party activists on September 6. Around 10,000 party members will come in a rally to Mangaluru on September 7.

State BJP president B.S. Yeddyurappa, BJP Yuva Morcha president Pratap Simha and others will take part in it, he said.