Latest news with #Karkala


The Hindu
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
State government indulging in 60% corruption, alleges MLA
BJP State general secretary and Karkala MLA V. Sunil Kumar on Monday accused the State government of indulging in '60% corruption with no development'. Speaking to the media in Udupi, Mr. Kumar, a former Minister, claimed that people in the coastal belt are frustrated over the functioning of the Congress-led State government, as development has come to a standstill. He claimed that over 40,000 people in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts staged protests in front of gram panchayats against the anti-people policies and failures of the State government. Criticising Udupi district in-charge Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, Mr. Kumar said that she rarely visits the district. 'Udupi district has been given nothing but empty promises,' he alleged. The district needs a development-oriented Minister, Mr. Kumar said. Referring to the allegations made by senior Congress leader B.R. Patil regarding corruption in the allotment of houses by the Rajiv Gandhi Development Corporation, he stated that all is not well within the Congress.


New Indian Express
22-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Tulu vs Kannada: Language row erupts in Dakshina Kannada
MANGALURU: A fresh controversy has erupted in Dakshina Kannada over the use of Tulu versus Kannada in local governance, placing the district administration in a delicate position. The trigger was a petition filed by Muralidhar, convener of the Yashashwi Nagarika Seva Sangha, Karkala, urging the authorities to ensure Kannada -- and not Tulu -- is given primacy during monthly gram panchayat meetings. In response, the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat forwarded the request to the executive officers of all taluk panchayats, advising them to take 'necessary action as per the rules'. Though the Karnataka Official Language Act, 1963, mandates the use of Kannada for all government communication, Tulu remains the dominant spoken language. This linguistic duality has placed officials in a bind -- enforcing the rule may alienate local communities, yet ignoring it risks violating statutory norms. Notably, the ZP avoided pushing for stringent enforcement. Unlike typical protocol, it did not seek an action-taken report from taluk officials -- a move interpreted as a cautious attempt to avoid inflaming sentiments. 'No guidelines on regional languages' However, the issue snowballed into a political flashpoint after BJP seized upon the ZP's internal note, issued on April 22, 2025. Former chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda and Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Kota Srinivas Poojary took aim at the Congress government, accusing it of attempting to marginalise Tulu. In a post on 'X', Gowda questioned, 'Can Urdu be used in government files?' -- a remark that drew criticism for communal overtones. A senior government official, requesting anonymity, clarified that while Kannada is compulsory for official use, no explicit guidelines exist on the status of regional languages in meetings. 'Each month, departments must report how many staff members use Kannada in administration.


The Hindu
16-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
BJP to hold protests in front of local body offices on June 23
BJP State general secretary and Karkala MLA V. Sunil Kumar on Monday said the party will hold protests in front of the offices of local bodies in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts on June 23 to highlight issues concerning people in the two districts. Mr. Kumar said the protests will be held at 399 locations, including in front of Mangaluru City Corporation, city municipal councils, municipalities, town panchayats and gram panchayats. Their demands include a solution to single-site issues with urban development authorities, sanctioning of Ashraya houses at the gram panchayat level, Aikrama-Sakrama applications issue resolution, opposing the exclusion of people from old age pension and Sandhya Suraksha schemes on account of crossing the income limit, and revokal of power tariff hike, he said. Kapu MLA Gurme Suresh Shetty and others were present.


New Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Sadhana Samavesha to highlight ‘zero' achievements: BJP chief Vijayendra
BENGALURU: BJP state president BY Vijayendra on Monday said the state government, which has failed in implementing its guarantee schemes properly, is holding the 'Sadhana Samavesha' to highlight its 'zero' achievements. He said this government's achievements are limited only to media advertisements. The Congress has betrayed the people of the state by not fulfilling the promises made in its manifesto for Assembly elections. People have no favourable opinion about this government. He said there should be development works along with guarantee schemes. Legislators are now in such a situation that they avoid meeting people of their constituencies. The schemes launched by the previous BJP government have been discontinued. The Congress government lacks vision. It is even unable to fill potholes in Bengaluru, he alleged. State BJP general secretary and Karkala MLA V Sunil Kumar termed the Congress government's 'Sadhana Samavesha' a mockery of democracy. Many ministers are unhappy and they are not interested in participating in the event. Bickering in Congress will intensify in the coming days. Sunil Kumar sought to know why the Siddaramaiah government is organising 'Sadhana Samavesha'? He said after coming to power, the Congress government has increased the prices of essential commodities many times. Is the event at Hosapete to highlight this?