Mangaluru: MLA U T Khader, in a veiled attack against RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat, urged RSS and BJP workers not to disrupt peace in Kanakapura.

Khader was responding to BJP and RSS workers protesting against the construction of a Jesus Christ statue near Kanakapura.

Khader said, “Kanakapura Chalo shows their (BJP, RSS) mindset. They are posing hurdles to the construction of a Jesus Christ statue also. The land was given by the government after discussing it in the Cabinet. Let the protesters question the handing over the land for construction of statue in a legal manner. There was no need for organising a padayatra in protest against a community. What mistake has the Christian community committed in the issue?” he asked.

He said it was Christians who, in order to empower public, had built hospitals for leprosy patients and educational institutions for women.

He urged protesters to protest against those who had encroached upon forest land. “Those who lost houses and farmland in the floods are yet to receive compensation from the government. Beneficiaries of housing schemes are yet to receive funds from the government. The wages for labourers under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREG) Scheme was not credited in accounts since many months.

Asha workers also have not received honorarium, Khader claimed.  The government also failed to convene the winter session in Karnataka. The state government has no concern for the woes of people, the MLA charged.

He urged the chief minister to convene a joint session or winter session of legislature immediately. The MLA urged public not to get alarmed when Asha or Anganwadi volunteers visit houses to collect information. “The government has not appointed anyone to collect information for NRC and CAA,” he stressed.