Preparations in place to receive ‘Chalo Udupi’ Jatha

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Oct 7, 2016: Addressing media at Udupi, Sundar Master, president of the organising committee, said that preparations are at an advanced stage for receiving the “Chalo Udupi” Jatha being organised by various Dalit, Left and progressive organisations, which will be reaching here on Oct 7 Saturday. The jatha will conclude with a procession and a mega convention here on Oct 8, Sunday.

The jatha had begun from Bengaluru on October 4 and its theme is: “Food of our choice, land is our right”. After visiting different districts, the jatha would enter Udupi on Saturday afternoon. The members of the jatha would also visit the family of Praveen Poojary, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member, who was allegedly beaten to death for transporting cattle at Kenjur village on the night of August 17.

On October 9, a procession by members of the jatha would begin from the Martyr’s Memorial at Ajjarkad, here at 10 a.m. It would pass through Jodu Katte, Court Road, Kavi Muddana Road, Service Bus Stand, BSNL Road, Chittaranjan Circle, Mitra Hospital Road, Fish Market Road, Volakadu School Road and culminate at the Mahatma Gandhi Bayalu Ranga Mandira.

The mega convention would begin at 1 p.m. at the Bayalu Ranga Mandira. Jignesh Mewani, social activist and organiser of Una Chalo movement, would be the main speaker at the convention. Eminent persons, including Jayamrutyunjaya Swami of Panchamashali Gurupeetha, Dinesh Amin Mattu, C.S. Dwarkanath, Bhaskar Prasad, would be participating in the convention, he said.

G. Rajashekhar, president of the district unit of Karnataka Komu Sauharda Vedike, said that the organising committee was expecting about 7,000 to 10,000 persons to participate in the convention. All arrangements were being made for the convention. There had been a rise in attacks on people belonging to minority communities and weaker sections of society in the last two years over their food choices, he said.

To a query, he said that all people, including those participating in the jatha and convention, had accepted and respected the country’s Constitution. That itself was patriotism. But some forces were bent on asking the members of a particular community to prove their patriotism, which was incorrect.

K. Phaniraj, Khalil Ahmed, William Martis, Sallauddin, Shambhu Suvarna, Prashanth Jathana, Dinakara Bengre, members of Organizing Committee, Shanthala Damle of Aam Admi Party, Jyoti Guruprasad, writer, were present.