Basavaraj Bommai, Home Minister, said on Friday that there was no instruction from the Centre not to hoist the Kannada flag.
Speaking to presspersons after the Rajyotsava Day celebrations here, Mr. Bommai said that in fact, the Kannada flag had been hoisted along with the national flag in some other districts.
“There has been no instruction of that kind from the Union government. In Udupi, they did not make provision for hoisting the flag because of the practice they have been following. But I have directed the Deputy Commissioner to make provisions for hoisting the Kannada flag along with the national flag from next year onwards,” he said.
When asked if the State government had issued any direction not to make arrangements for hoisting the Kannada flag, Mr. Bommai denied it.
On Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Dinesh Gundu Rao’s tweet about such a direction being issued by the State government, Mr. Bommai said: “I do not react to tweets. No such direction has been issued.”
On the issue of fights between fishermen from the State with their counterparts from other States on territorial issues in the sea, Mr. Bommai said that there was demarcation of coastal sea, deep sea, and main sea. There was also demarcation of the sea between the States also. “We will request the Coast Guard to coordinate on this matter. Sometimes fishermen from our State cross the border, sometimes fishermen from other states cross it,” he said.
On filling of 300 posts of public prosecutors in the State, Mr. Bommai said that the government had already sanctioned filling of more than 100 posts. “Since there is severe shortage, we have taken a call to fill all posts through outsourcing. Then slowly, we will fill them officially in batches,” he said.
On complaints about State-level Rajyotsava awards being given to the supporters of the BJP, Mr. Bommai said that the charge was baseless.
