BJP slams Kiran Mazumdar for remark against communal divide; Karnataka CM asks people to show restraint

Bengaluru, Mar 31: After Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw flagged “growing religious divide” in Karnataka, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday asked everyone to show “restraint” and solve their issues through talks.

“At no cost should peace and law-and-order be disrupted. All should cooperate. Karnataka is known for peace and progress. This shouldn't be affected,” Bommai told reporters when asked to comment on Mazumdar-Shaw's tweet.

On Wednesday night, Mazumdar-Shaw asked Bommai to check communal developments, making her the first major corporate voice to speak out.

“Karnataka has always forged inclusive economic development and we must not allow such communal exclusion. If IT/BT became communal it would destroy our global leadership,” she wrote, urging Bommai to “please resolve this growing religious divide”.

Mazumdar-Shaw followed it up with another tweet: “Our CM is a very progressive leader. I am sure he will resolve this issue soon.”

Bommai acknowledged that several issues had come to the fore of late. “For instance, the uniform for schoolchildren got settled with the High Court’s judgement. On all other issues, my appeal to the people concerned is that we’ve been living together by following our beliefs. Before going public, everyone should use restraint, maintain peace and order. Several social problems that are raised can be solved with talks,” he said.

Mazumdar-Shaw was reacting to news on Muslim traders being kept away from temples, following calls by Hindu groups. The government has cited Muzrai rules framed in 2002 stating no space near a temple can be leased to non-Hindus.

BJP attacks

Mazumdar-Shaw's tweet drew a sharp response from BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya on Thursday. “Good to see Kiran Shaw wake up to the religious divide in Karnataka. Did she speak up when a belligerent minority sought to prioritise Hijab over education or Congress framed rules excluding non-Hindus from Hindu institutions. She helped Congress draft their manifesto. Explains?” he said in a tweet, attaching a copy of the 2002 Muzrai rules.

“It is unfortunate to see people like Kiran Shaw impose their personal, politically coloured opinion, and conflate it with India’s leadership in the IT/BT sector,” Malviya said. “Rahul Bajaj once said something similar for Gujarat, it is today a leading automobile manufacturing hub. Go figure…”

Mazumdar-Shaw lamented that "vested interests" had hijacked the issue. "I am confident our CM Bommai will resolve the matter peacefully. I am a proud kannadiga n don’t want to see these incidents detract from economic progress. All parties need to work towards this (sic)," she said.

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Deadly cyber-attack by Israel: Many killed, around 3,000 injured in mass pager explosions across Lebanon

News Network

September 18,2024

Thousands of members of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah as well as civilians have been killed or wounded after wireless communication devices, known as pagers, exploded in different locations across the country on Tuesday, September 17.

In its latest update, the Lebanese health ministry said at least nine people have been killed and 2,800 others wounded in the explosions that were first reported in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

"Patients are being transferred to different governorates in Lebanon as hospitals in southern Lebanon have exceeded their capacity," the ministry stated.

Among those killed are a 9-year-old girl and son of a lawmaker affiliated with Hezbollah, Press TV correspondent in Beirut Mariam Saleh said in a report from the Lebanese capital.

The little girl has been identified as Fatima Jafar Abdullah while the young man is Mahdi Ammar, son of 'Loyalty to the Resistance' bloc MP Ali Ammar.

Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, is also among the injured. His wife took to X, formerly Twitter, to confirm his injury in the pager explosion but said his condition was stable.

Saleh said certain people who were carrying pagers noticed them heating up before the explosions took place, adding that Israelis are on a state of high alert, expecting a response from Hezbollah.

Based on preliminary investigation, officials were quoted as saying that the blasts appear to have been caused by a remote cyber attack orchestrated by the Israeli regime amid heightened tensions.

Footage shared on social media showed the wounded being taken to hospitals in Beirut and southern Lebanon. Many were seen assembling in front of hospitals and health centers to assist the injured.

In its latest statement, Hezbollah said after examining all facts and available information about the attacks that they hold the Israeli regime "fully responsible for this criminal aggression that also targeted civilians and led to the martyrdom of several people and the injury of many others."

"Our martyrs and wounded are the symbol of our struggle and sacrifices on the road to Al-Quds, in victory for our honorable people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and continuous field support.

"Our position of victory, support and backing for the valiant Palestinian resistance will remain a source of pride and honor for us in this world and the hereafter.

"The treacherous and criminal enemy will certainly receive its punishment for this sinful aggression," read the statement.

In its earlier statement, Hezbollah said at least three people, including a girl, had been killed in the pager explosions and many others sustained injuries.

The movement said relevant authorities were conducting security and scientific investigations to determine the causes of these simultaneous explosions.

The Lebanese health ministry has asked all its medical workers in Beirut and southern Lebanon to remain on alert and respond to all emergency medical cases.

The ministry has also urged all pager owners to dispose of their devices with immediate effect.

Lebanon’s Minister of Health, Firas Abiad, earlier said the number of injured was in the “hundreds” and there were some fatalities from the explosions.

There has been no immediate comment from the Israeli military on Tuesday's attacks although some reports suggest that the regime officials have been advised to remain tight-lipped about it.

Israel has been regularly exchanging fire with Hezbollah since last October, shortly after the regime launched its genocidal war on Gaza after the Hamas resistance group carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm in retaliation for the relentless atrocities against the Palestinian people.

Experts believe the Israeli regime, after being militarily defeated, is resorting to desperate attacks against ordinary people in both Lebanon and Gaza, which will only hasten its demise.

More than 41,200 Palestinians have been killed by the occupying regime in the besieged Gaza Strip in the past 11 months, most of them children and women.

Condemnations have started pouring in against Tuesday's mass pager explosions in Lebanon, with Palestinian resistance groups as well as Yemen's Ansarullah strongly condemning it.

In a phone call with his Lebanese counterpart, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi strongly condemned the Israeli terrorist attack targeting the Lebanese people.

He also expressed condolences to Lebanon and said Iran is ready to assist in treating the wounded or transferring them to Tehran.

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