Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi spoke on Friday at a public meeting organised at Kadri Grounds as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Save Democracy, End Anarchy campaign. He inaugurated the meeting and used the platform to attack those opposing the Special Intensive Revision, known as SIR, of electoral rolls.

"Future generations will regard them as betrayers of trust and traitors to the nation," Suresh Gopi said, referring to those opposing the revision exercise. He alleged that those spreading misinformation about the SIR exercise, which he said is aimed at ensuring the integrity of the electoral process, were misleading the country's youth.

A verse from Bharathiyar

Quoting a verse from the poem Bharata Samudayam Vazhgave by Tamil poet Subramania Bharathiyar, Suresh Gopi said it was unfortunate that a ruling party had been forced to organise a protest in response to an agitation launched by the opposition. The remark framed the BJP campaign as a response to what he described as an opposition-led agitation.

He said the protest meeting was only the beginning and warned that public anger would engulf those opposing the initiative. The meeting was part of a wider BJP campaign against what the party describes as misinformation about the electoral roll revision.

Sharp words on the opposition

In his sharpest remarks, Suresh Gopi turned to the opposition leadership. "Kharge's son should understand that Narendra Modi is not going anywhere from this country. It is your leader and his family who should leave. If they do not go voluntarily, the people themselves will lift them up and throw them into the Arabian Sea," he declared.

The comments drew attention at the meeting, which was attended by senior BJP leaders from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod districts. The rally had begun with a padayatra from the Mini Vidhana Soudha near Clock Tower, culminating in the public meeting at Kadri Grounds.

Leaders who attended the meeting

BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia, BJP Dakshina Kannada district president Satish Kumpala, Udupi district president Naveen Shetty Kuthyaru and Kasaragod district president N L Ashwini were among those who attended. MP Captain Brijesh Chowta and former minister Kota Srinivas Poojary were also present.

MLAs and MLCs at the meeting

MLAs D Vedavyas Kamath, Harish Poonja, Rajesh Naik Ulipadyguthu, K Umanath Kotian, Gurme Suresh Shetty, Bhagirathi Murulya, Gururaj Gantihole, Dr Y Bharath Shetty, Yashpal Suvarna and Kiran Kumar Kodgi attended, along with MLCs Kishore Kumar Puttur and Pratapsimha Nayak.