Mangaluru: A fresh political row has erupted in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district after Congress leaders demanded action against BJP MLA Harish Poonja for allegedly making derogatory remarks against the Beary Muslim community during a recent temple function in Belthangady taluk.

Shahul Hamid, President of the Minority Cell of the Congress in the coastal district, condemned the MLA's comments as “an unprovoked communal attack” that insults a community with a long-standing record of harmony and interfaith cooperation.

The controversial remarks were allegedly made during the Brahmakalashotsava ceremony at the Gopalakrishna Temple in Tekkaru, a village known for its inter-religious unity. According to Hamid, members of the Beary community had supported the temple’s construction and were even honoured during the event. “To use that very platform to malign them is not just insensitive, it’s politically divisive,” he said.

Hamid accused Poonja of misusing religious platforms for polarising speeches and called his conduct “unbecoming of a legislator.” He urged Speaker U.T. Khader to examine the matter and disqualify the MLA, adding that the assembly must not be a safe haven for communal incitement.

The Congress leader further claimed that District Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao had already directed police officials to take appropriate action, and a complaint filed by a local resident had resulted in a case being registered under the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita).

“The Beary community has been provoked and insulted. This was a calculated attempt to stir division in a region that has long stood as a symbol of coastal Karnataka’s pluralism,” Hamid said, warning that such remarks could fuel unrest at a time when tensions are already high in the district. (eom)