Visveswar Hegde Kageri defends ABVP's agitation

Bangalore, Nov 13: Strongly backing the closure call given by Akhila Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishath's (ABVP)', on Wednesday, Nov 12, to demand eviction of 3.5 crore rpt crore Bangladeshi illegal settlers, Karnataka Primary education minister Visveswar Hegde Kageri said that it was done to wake up the UPA government on the serious issue.

Majority of schools and colleges across the state remained closed yesterday as per the ABVP's call.

Speaking to newspersons here the minister, who had earlier slapped notices to the Christian Educational Institutions for closing down schools and colleges in protest against attack on Christians in Orissa recently, however defended the action of the BJP's student wing organisation ABVP.

Drawing differences with the ABVP call with the closure of Christian Institutions, the minister said that the former had called for Schools bandh on National issue.

Stating that the ABVP's bandh call was 'necessary' at the time when the infiltration by Bangladeshi Nationals was rampant, he said that it helped evince the attention of the Union government to take remedial action. "The successful bandh call given from the ABVP also intended to reflect the feelings of the Indian nationals," he claimed.

UNI