Mangaluru: The Congress party in Coastal Karnataka staged a strong show of support for MLC Ivan D’Souza following a stone-pelting incident at his residence. The demonstration culminated in a protest rally at Kankanady Circle, marking the end of a padayatra that began at D’Souza’s residence in Valencia.

Initially intended as a march to the BJP office, the padayatra was diverted to Kankanady, where Congress leaders and supporters gathered to condemn the attack and express solidarity with D’Souza. During the event, Congress leaders sharply criticized the BJP, accusing the leaders of trying to silence D’Souza through false allegations.

Ivan D’Souza defended his earlier remarks while addressing the audience and clarified his stand on the political situation in countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Uganda. “I cited Bangladesh as an example of the consequences of ignoring the will of the people and violating constitutional norms, not as an example to follow,” he explained. D’Souza also condemned the stone-throwing incident, calling it a reflection of the BJP’s “goon culture”. He accused the party of twisting his words and filing cases against him across the state. “These actions show that the BJP has an affinity for violence, as is evident from their admiration for the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi,” he noted.

KPCC spokesperson MG Hegde also spoke about the protest and condemned the provocative statements of BJP leaders. He emphasised that the Congress’s principles of truth and non-violence would prevail in Coastal Karnataka. “In this region, Gandhi’s ideals will prevail, not Godse’s ideology,” Hegde said. He also criticised Mangalore North MLA Bharath Shetty’s remarks against Ivan D’Souza and Rahul Gandhi, describing them as unbecoming of a legislator and detrimental to communal harmony.

District Congress president Harish Kumar praised Ivan D’Souza for his dedication to addressing the issues of the underprivileged and his efforts to combat corruption in the BJP. Meanwhile, BJP leaders, including MLA Vedavyas Kamath and district president Sathish Kumpala, gathered outside the district office ahead of the Congress’ scheduled padayatra to the venue.

“Although Congress activists initially planned to march towards the BJP office, they eventually backed out after recognising the determination and resistance of BJP workers. After assessing the situation, Ivan D’Souza and his team decided not to approach the BJP office,” district president Sathish Kumpala said.