BJP seeks apology from Priyank for badmouthing coast

Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada district BJP president Sathish Kumpala and Mangaluru City North MLA Y Bharath Shetty said that IT minister Priyank Kharge should apologise for his remarks against Dakshina Kannada district.Kumpala told reporters on Monday that the minister's statements, terming Dakshina Kannada as ‘communal', has hurt the people of the district. "The minister said that development suffered setbacks in Dakshina Kannada due to communal issues. He has hurt the people of Dakshina Kannada. He should clarify his contributions to the development of the district," he said."People of Dakshina Kannada, who are progressive and working towards the development of the district, are not communal. The district won national accolades as the cradle of banks and a hub of educational institutions. Students from various parts of the nation and foreign countries pursue education in colleges in Dakshina Kannada. Let the minister introspect whether Kalaburagi, the district he represents, has all such facilities," Kumpala suggested.Referring to the report of Karnataka Regional Imbalances Redressal Committee (2026), headed by economist M Govinda Rao, the BJP leader said that Kalaburagi was listed as one of the backward districts in the state. "Despite AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and IT minister Priyank Kharge representing the district, it remains backward. So let Priyank stop criticising Dakshina Kannada," he said, and also criticised the minister for his remarks against BJP and RSS.MLA Shetty said though land was identified for an IT Park in Mangaluru, the IT minister failed to complete the tender process.Complaint against Puttur MLABJP Puttur Rural Mandal SC Morcha filed a complaint at Puttur town police station against Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai for making derogatory remarks against the leader of the opposition in the legislative council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy.Kumpala said MLA Rai used a derogatory word against BJP MLC, who belongs to the SC community. "Being an MLA, Rai should not use derogatory language against anyone. He should not attack his political opponents using derogatory words," the BJP leader said.