Ministers R. Roshan Baig and B. Ramanath Rai appealed to Haj pilgrims to pray for peace in trouble hit Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada district, here on Monday.
They were addressing them at the farewell organised for pilgrims travelling from Mangaluru International Airport for three days from Monday.
Mr. Baig, Minister for Haj and Urban Development, said the communal tension in Kalladkka and B.C. Road should subside. “Hating people of different faiths will help none. If the lives are lost, it is the parents and families who will suffer.”
He said the “gau rakshaks” were attacking cattle transporters. “It is injustice done to the transporters. The pilgrims should pray for good sense to prevail upon them,” he added.
The minister hailed Vishwesha Tirtha, seer of Pejawar Mutt, for organising Iftar party in Udupi recently. This, he said, was a good moves towards maintaining harmony in society.
Mr. Baig said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced ₹10 crore in the 2017-18 budget for building a Haj Bhavan in Mangaluru, of which ₹2.5 crore has already been released. Minister for Food and Civil Supplies U.T. Khader, and Mangaluru City South MLA B.A. Mohiuddin Bava should ensure the bhavan is ready in a year’s time.
