Janmashtami celebration:Khader arrives late, questions DC’s absence

• Electoral duty and poll code prevents Senthil’s participation

Mangaluru: District in-charge Minister U.T. Khader arrived 90 minutes late for the official celebrations of Krishna Janmashtami programme held at the Town Hall here on Sunday and questioned the absence of Deputy Commissioner S. Sasikanth Senthil in the programme.

Mr. Khader expressed his displeasure over the absence of deputy commissioner Sasikanth Senthil at Sri Krishna Jayanthi celebrations organised by district administration, Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat and department of Culture and Language.  The minister publically expressed his disapproval over the DC’s absence and said he will recommend the government to take action against him.

“This is a government programme and the DC should attend these types of programmes. The district administration is directly involved in arrangements of this programme. So I cannot understand why DC took the matter lightly. The government programmes are not just reserved for MLAs or MPs. I will write a letter to chief secretary to issue an order to all DCs and government officials to attend government programmes without fail. It is their duty and they should follow it. The programmes like Sri Krishna Jayanthi are helping to convey a message of harmony and peace in society. It is not only a feast for Hindus. It is a feast of our land and our soil,” he observed.

Mr. Khader said he would write to Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Chief Secretary Vijay Bhaskar for holding an official Janmastami programme on a grand scale from next year.

Poll code of conduct in effect

It has come to knowledge that the DC was the District Electoral Officer for the elections to Bantwal Town Municipal Council and City Municipal Councils of Ullal and Puttur and the code of conduct bars him from attending such programmes because of which he did not attend the programme.