Can’t change bandh date as sought by film fraternity: Vatal

NT Correspondent

Mysuru: A group of Kannada activists led by former MLA Vatal Nagaraj staged a dharna in front of the Majestic Bus Stand in Bengaluru on Sunday urging the state government to ban Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti(MES).

Speaking on the occasion, Nagaraj said the dharna was intended to build the tempo for the Karnataka bandh planned on December 31. On Monday, Kannada activists will do ‘uralu seve’ (rolling on the ground) in support of their demand. The bandh cannot be advanced or postponed as demanded by the film fraternity. “There is no question of postponement of the bandh at any cost. The film fraternity must participate in the agitation…we don’t want their moral support,” he stressed.

Following the desecration of the Sangoli Rayanna statue in Belagavi recently and the targeting of Karnataka goernment vehicles, as many as 35 organisations have called for a state bandh on December 31 demanding that the government ban MES. Meanwhile, former CM H.D.Kumaraswamy remarked that the Karnataka bandh called by Kannada organisations was ‘uncalled for’ as it would cause more problems for Kannadigas than others.

The film industry which had hit rock bottom in the last two years due to the pandemic is recovering and in this situation, calling for a bandh would severely affect the sector, Kumaraswamy added.