From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bangalore, Aug 10: The newly installed Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda had a surprise visitor from his native coastal Karnataka when the Mangalore Bishop Rev Dr Aloysius D’Souza called on him this evening with a fervent plea for withdrawal of the cases foisted against innocent Christian youth in the Church attack cases in 2008.
The Chief Minister, who had left for New Delhi on Tuesday for meeting Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh as well as various Central ministers and also the BJP national president Nitin Gadkari, party patriarch L K Advani, former national president Rajnath Singh, party’s opposition leaders in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitely in Rajya Sabha, returned from Delhi on Wednesday evening.
Though the Bishop was expected to meet D V Sadananda Gowda at his official residence soon after arrival from Delhi, the Bishop could not do so in view of the traffic bottlenecks in the city and had to wait till the Chief Minister returned after attending a function to felicitate BJP Rajya Sabha member and Karnataka Liberal Education (KLE) Society President Prabhakar Kore on his 65th birthday at Ravindra Kalakshetra.
The Bishop, who was accompanied by Fr Onil D’Souza, Mangalore Diocese’s CODP Director, extended the greetings of the entire Christian community, especially from the Catholic faithful from the Diocese and urged the Chief Minister to take urgent steps to withdraw the cases against the Christian youth in the church attack cases.
``This will be a big relief and come as the best goodwill gesture from the chief minister, “ the Bishop said who presented a memorandum listing the demands from the Catholics and Christians of the coastal region.
The Chief Minister, who thanked Bishop A P D’Souza, pointed out that he was yet to settle down and requested that he should be given some to take action. ``I promise to attend to the demand in the next 15 days or so,” Sadananda Gowda said pointing out that he had already received the same demand from the Bangalore Archbishop Rt Dr Bernard Moras, who had called on him on Monday.
``I have already promised the Archbishop that the government will take steps for withdrawal of the cases against the Christian youth in accordance with the promise given by the former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa,” he said.
The Chief Minister requested to Bishop for the prayers and support and also from the entire Christian community. ``I am aware of the contribution and service of the community. I need your support, prayers and blessings,” he said.
The Chief Minister particularly complimented the senior journalist and Daijiworld Special Correspondent Gabriel Vaz in Bangalore, who presented him with a copy of the latest issue of the Daijiworld English Weekly, which features a front cover page article on the Chief Minister. `` He (Gabriel Vaz) is an old friend and is always there to represent the cause of the community. I know him very well,” he said.
Incidentally, the Bishop presented a bouquet of flowers and also a shawl to the Chief Minister as a token of the love and appreciation from the people of the coastal region and requested Sadananda Gowda to attend the 125th anniversary celebration in February 2012. ``We will be sending a formal invitation for 125th anniversary celebration of the formation of Mangalore Diocese and request for attending the function,” the Bishop said, to which the Chief Minister readily agreed.
The Chief Minister had called on the Prime Minister and requested him to inaugurate the first phase of the Bangalore Metro Rail project sometime in September and also the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, Union External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, Union Corporate Affairs Minister M Veerappa Moily (both of whom are former chief ministers of Karnataka) and other Central Ministers. He had a breakfast meeting with the State MPs in Delhi before returning to Bangalore.
``When I told the Prime Minister that he became Chief Minister unexpectedly, he replied that he also became Prime Minister accidentally,” Sadananda Gowda told the MPs and mentioned that Dr Singh suggested that both should work together forgetting political party differences.