Summary:
MANGALURU: The Vijaya Bank Ulisi Horata Samiti on Thursday announced that the mass protest against the proposed merger of Vijaya Bank with Bank of Baroda awill now be held on February 2. The BJP on its part hit back at the Congress reminding its leadership of a decision to prevent naming of Light House Hill Road after Mulki Sunder Ram Shetty, CMD of the bank, credited with giving the bank a sense of purpose while giving employment to locals. Customers of the bank, employees, present and former, leaders of various political parties and organizations including those pertaining to the banking sector from the two districts are expected to participate in the protest rally, he said.The Union government on January 2 notified its decision to merge Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with Bank of Baroda in a bid to further strengthening banking operations in India. This first tri-merger of banks following the merger of associates of State Bank of India with the parent bank, raised the heckles of the locals given that Vijaya Bank is one among the five nationalized banks to have taken birth in this district regarded as cradle of banking.The move had led to strong political exchange between local BJP and Congress leaders with Congress leaders seeking to target DK MP Nalin Kumar Kateel for this decision of the union government. The protest that was initially scheduled for January 20 and later rescheduled for January 31 will now be held on Saturday and will cover the two districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, the Samiti stated.“We are expecting at least 5,000-10,000 people right from Kundapur to Sullia converge at Mulki where the protest meeting will be held at Gandhi Maidan in Karnad,” Dinesh Hegde Ulepady, president of the Samiti, stated..