Mangaluru: Congress workers in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi staged protests on Tuesday against the FIR registered against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, demanding that the case be withdrawn.
The protests were organised separately in Mangaluru and Udupi following the FIR against Gandhi over his criticism of an alleged casteist incident in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, involving the reported “purification” of a venue where AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge had addressed a rally.
Congress stages protest in Mangaluru
In Mangaluru, the Dakshina Kannada district Congress committee organised a demonstration near the Mangaluru City Corporation office at Lalbagh.
District in-charge minister U T Khader, who addressed the gathering, condemned the FIR against Rahul Gandhi and accused the BJP government of pursuing what he described as “hate politics”.
Khader alleged that the reported purification of the venue after Kharge’s programme was an insult to the Dalit community. He questioned why an FIR had been registered against Gandhi for raising his voice against the alleged incident.
According to Khader, Gandhi had spoken in support of constitutional values and against discrimination. He also defended the Congress leader against criticism from the BJP and said the party would continue to stand behind him.
Khader further spoke about the political legacy of the Gandhi family and said Congress would not be deterred by criticism or threats.
Ivan D’Souza targets BJP government
Congress MLC Ivan D’Souza also addressed the Mangaluru protest.
D’Souza accused the BJP government of using what he described as “hate politics” to divert public attention from its alleged failures. He claimed that attempts were being made to create divisions along caste and religious lines.
He also alleged that cases were being registered against opposition leaders in an attempt to silence dissent.
Dakshina Kannada district Congress president K Harish Kumar and district women’s Congress president Appi were among those who addressed the gathering.
Several senior Congress leaders and party workers participated in the demonstration.
Udupi Congress workers march against FIR
In Udupi, Congress leaders and workers staged a march from the Congress Bhavan at Brahmagiri to Brahmagiri Circle.
The protesters raised slogans against the Union Government and Uttarakhand Government and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the FIR registered against Rahul Gandhi.
Senior thinker Dr Gananaatha Yekkaru, who addressed the gathering, said the reported “purification” of the place where Mallikarjun Kharge had delivered his speech amounted to an insult to a leader holding a high constitutional position.
He questioned the consequences of such practices for members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and warned that cases could eventually be registered against people who speak out against untouchability.
Yekkaru also alleged that developments undermining constitutional principles such as liberty, equality, social justice and fraternity were taking place in the country.
Leaders demand withdrawal of case
Coastal Development Board chairman M A Gafoor also criticised the action against Rahul Gandhi and demanded that the FIR be withdrawn.
Congress spokesperson Veronica Cornelio alleged that democratic institutions and constitutional values were being weakened and claimed that the FIR was intended to suppress Gandhi’s voice.
The Congress leaders maintained that the party would continue to oppose what they described as discrimination and attempts to silence opposition voices.
Several Congress leaders, including Ramesh Kanchan, Prakhyath Shetty, Jyothi Hebbar, Suresh Shetty Bannanje, Geetha Vaghei, Satish Kodavoor, Dayananda P, Ganesh Nerghi, Krishna Shetty Bajagoli and Shashidhar Shetty Ermal, were present at the Udupi protest.
Protests follow controversy in Uttarakhand
The protests in coastal Karnataka follow the controversy surrounding an incident in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, which prompted Rahul Gandhi to publicly raise concerns over alleged caste discrimination.
Congress leaders in Mangaluru and Udupi have now joined the party’s wider criticism of the FIR, arguing that Gandhi was targeted for questioning the alleged incident.
The allegations made by Congress leaders during the protests are political claims and have not been independently established. The FIR itself will be subject to the legal process and further investigation.
For the Congress units in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, the demonstrations were aimed at putting pressure on the authorities to withdraw the case and highlighting what they described as threats to constitutional and democratic values.