CH NEWS, MANGALURU
Former Minister and KPCC Vice President B Ramanath Rai welcomed the state government’s decision to hold a cabinet meeting in the coastal region of Udupi and Mangaluru, and urged the Centre to take concrete steps towards including Tulu in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
Addressing a press conference at the Congress Bhavan on Wednesday, Rai said the cabinet meeting would provide an opportunity to discuss and address key developmental issues concerning the coastal region.
Recalling the Congress party’s welfare-oriented initiatives, Rai said Dakshina Kannada was among the major beneficiaries of land reforms, particularly the Land Reforms Act, which provided ownership rights to tenant farmers. He also highlighted bank nationalisation, debt relief measures introduced during the Devaraj Urs government, waiver of electricity charges for agricultural pump sets, and regularisation of land under Bagair Hukum and Section 94C.
Rai said Dakshina Kannada, particularly Bantwal, had benefited significantly from the distribution of land titles under Section 94C. He recalled inviting former revenue minister Kagodu Thimmappa to Bantwal to initiate the distribution of such titles and praised Thimmappa for his efforts for poor and landless families.
He also referred to the Congress government’s welfare programmes, including pensions and housing assistance, and said his priority was to ensure that benefits meant for weaker sections reached them without difficulty.
Rai urged the BJP-led Union government and elected representatives from the coastal region to make concrete efforts to include Tulu in the eighth schedule of the Constitution.
He said the demand for eighth schedule status for Tulu was longstanding and called upon the prime minister to give an assurance regarding its inclusion.
If the prime minister gives such a commitment, Tulu will receive the recognition and respect it deserves, Rai said.
He questioned why BJP leaders, who have been raising the demand for Tulu recognition, could not use their influence at the Centre to pursue its inclusion in the eighth schedule.
Rai highlighted several major infrastructure and institutional developments in the district, including the airport, seaport, roads, bridges, university, and regional passport office, and attributed several of these initiatives to successive Congress governments.
Rai also appealed to political parties to cooperate with the cabinet meeting instead of threatening black-flag protests or creating disruptions.
