Udupi in-charge minister calls Hindu activist Sulibele a ‘liar'
Udupi district is witnessing a political row after district in-charge minister Laxmi Hebbalkar on Friday accused Hindu activist and author Chakravarthy Sulibele of spreading 'lies' and warned against attempts to disturb communal harmony during his upcoming public events.
Hebbalkar, addressing reporters in Udupi, said, 'Udupi is a district of peace lovers. No one should be allowed to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere.' She added that while the Congress supports freedom of expression and constitutional values, it does not condone hate speech.
Her remarks came a day after Kundapur police served Sulibele a notice ahead of his three-day lecture series at Mogaveera Bhavana in Kundapur from June 20 to 22. The event, organised by Yuva Brigade, is themed 'Let us rest only after making a unified greater India' (Akhand Bharat).
Sulibele is scheduled to speak at 6 pm on all three days.
The police advisory instructs Sulibele to restrict his speech to the announced topic and avoid political commentary. Organisers have also been directed to provide details of guests and ensure compliance with Supreme Court guidelines regarding public gatherings. The responsibility for maintaining peace has been placed on the organisers.
The police action follows a memorandum submitted by local leaders of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), who urged officials not to grant permission for the event.
Reacting to the notice, Sulibele described it as an attempt to curtail his freedom of expression. In a statement, he said, 'Is there a new law in Karnataka banning people from speaking about politics? By that logic, I cannot refer to Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi—or even Ghazni, Ghori and Aurangzeb.' He termed the development 'disturbing' and claimed it violated the constitutional right to free speech.
Police have so far not indicated any formal restrictions on the event but reiterated that any deviation from approved topics or incitement to disharmony would invite legal action.
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