Rahul to address rally in communally sensitive coastal K’taka districts

BENGALURU: Rahul Gandhi is set to address a rally and attend various programmes in the communally sensitive Udupi and Dakshina Kannada coastal districts of Karnataka on Thursday.

The Congress is aiming to capture the coastal Karnataka region which is considered as a BJP bastion. Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts witnessed brutal revenge killings and a series of incidents of communal violence and tension.

According to the party's official statement, Rahul Gandhi will visit Kapu in Udupi district and participate in an interaction programme with the fisher folks. Later, he will reach Mangaluru in Dakshina Kannada district and address a public rally.

Dakshina Kannada district has eight Assembly segments and Udupi district has five Assembly constituencies. BJP had won seven among eight seats in Dakshina Kannada in last elections. All the five seats in Udupi were won by the BJP. Another coastal district Uttara Kannada has six Assembly seats and five are held by the BJP. In 19 seats of three districts the Congress managed to win only two seats.

This time the Congress wants to win 10 to 12 seats in the coastal region. Rahul Gandhi is aggressively attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP governments at the Centre and state. He is talking about the pride of Karnataka.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too has been campaigning in the state and has launched poignant attacks on the BJP.

Mangaluru, where Rahul Gandhi is addressing a public rally, is considered to be a stronghold of the BJP. The city and the district have witnessed a series of incidents --revenge killings, moral policing, attacks on students and communal tension.