Kumaraswamy stays in Muslim home

After staying in the homes of Dalits and Marathis, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy choose the house of a Muslim in for an overnight halt during his tour of Dharwad district recently.

Instead of staying at circuit houses and travellers’ bungalows like other VVIPs, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has established a new tradition of staying overnight in houses of poor people during his visit to rural parts of the State.

After staying in houses of Dalits and Marathis, the Chief Minister had promised to stay in a madrassa or a seminary during his next visit to coastal Karnataka to silence his critics, who questioned his secular credentials.

But even before he could stay at a madrassa, Kumaraswamy selected the house of a gram panchayat member Allabi Chandsab Nadaf for his overnight stay during the tour of Dharwad.

The Muslim gram panchayat member’s modest house in Naavalli in Dharwad district, about 40 kms from Hubli, became the focus of all attention with the Chief Minister’s decision to stay there overnight. The house was decked up with a fresh coat of paint, new cots and fans, besides a new toilet.

When the Chief Minister arrived in the village, the locals, who burst crackers and danced enthusiastically, accorded him a warm welcome.

Speaking to reporters at Allabi Chandsab Nadaf’s residence, Kumaraswamy defended the Government’s decision to arrest BJP’s Karnataka unit President D V Sadananda Gowda for trying to take out a procession in Chickmagalur recently in defiance of ban orders.

“The Government will not hesitate to arrest people, who break law and order in the name of Shobha Yatra”, Kumaraswamy said.