Udupi: MLA Sunil Kumar has strongly responded to Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar’s recent remarks, asserting that the Congress-led state government has made no meaningful development in Udupi district over the past two years.
Addressing media persons, Kumar questioned, “What new projects have been initiated? Has even a single road, Anganwadi, or infrastructure project been completed? Have any vacant government posts been filled?” He openly challenged the minister to list any achievements accomplished in the district under her tenure.
He further criticized Hebbalkar’s handling of the Energy Department, asking why she had remained silent for two years if she truly intended to make a difference. “Udupi needs a development-focused minister, not someone who pays occasional visits like a ‘visiting doctor’,” he remarked. Kumar emphasized that genuine work would earn her support from all five local MLAs.
On the issue of alleged targeting of Hindu voices, Kumar accused the state government of suppressing dissent. “Whenever someone speaks out, an FIR follows. Hindu activists have been threatened with deportation, and events have been disrupted—from Sulibele in Kundapur to Srikanth Shetty in Bagalkot,” he claimed. He also mentioned a likely FIR against Mohandas Pai, calling it an alarming trend.
Drawing parallels to the Emergency of 1975, Kumar warned, “The Congress appears set to repeat history by stifling democracy. Just as Indira Gandhi’s downfall began with the Emergency, the state Congress may face the same fate.”