Mangaluru : The Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee has urged the state government to refuse permission for Union home minister Amit Shah’s meet in the city. The Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee chief K Harish Kumar and MLC Ivan D’Souza said Shah’s proposed rally, a part of BJP’s Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) drive, may trigger violence in the district.

“Let the Union home minister postpone his visit to Mangaluru. Normalcy is prevailing in the district and people are living in harmony. Let the home minister not create rift and trigger violence. Hence, the district administration and the city police should not grant permission for his programme. We will hold hunger strike with the slogan – ‘Go back Amit Shah’, if permission is granted,” D’Souza said.

He added that the BJP has been trying to gain political mileage through CAA. Criticising chief minister BS Yediyurappa’s door-to-door campaign for CAA, D’Souza said the CM should also listen to the people who are opposing the Act. “Add Muslims too under the purview of CAA, if the BJP wants to be with the people,” he added.

MLC Harish Kumar urged the BJP to expel Ballari City MLA G Somashekara Reddy for his inflammatory speech. “The BJP MLA has made an anti-national statement. He should be arrested and the party should expel him immediately. The BJP is trying to create vote-bank by dividing people,” he added.