Newskarnataka-Mangalore

Mangalore :The district unit of the BJP will be holding a mass protest rally in Mangalore on January 2 to oppose the Central Government proposal to ban arecanut.

Informing this to reporters here on December 21, Saturday, former CM and senior BJP leader DV Sadananda Gowda said the rally to be taken out from Jyothi Circle to Nehru Maidan will be participated by around 50,000 arecanut growers.

Gowda charged the state government of failing to protect the interests of arecanut growers of the state and pointed out that there were over two lakh arecanut growers and another five lakh people who depended on arecanut to sustain a living.

He at the same time pointed out that the BJP had backed the government decision to ban Gutka mainly because it was injurious to health and said there was no question of supporting a ban on arecanut.