MANGALURU: The JD(S) in Dakshina Kannada district raised objections to a decision of the central government to privatise Mangalore International Airport.The government recently had decided to hand over Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, and Guwahati airports for operations, management and development through the PPP model.Condemning this decision, JD(S) district president Mohammed Kunhi told reporters on Sunday that chief minister H D Kumaraswamy has already sent a letter to the Centre, opposing the move."Hundreds of acres of Mangalore International Airport belong to the state government. The airport should not be handed over to private companies at any cost," he said. On the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Kunhi said the JD(S) - Congress combine can easily win the Dakshina Kannada seat if the ticket is given to the right candidate."We can win the seat if we field efficient leaders like Manjunath Bhandary, Ivan D'Souza, Mohiuddin Bava from Congress or M B Sadashiva of JD(S). However, Congress should wake up and respond to situations," he added.Muslims not opposed to Ram TempleOn the Ayodhya issue, Kunhi said Muslims are not against building a Ram Temple in Ayodhya."Muslims do not oppose the construction of a Ram Mandir, but the BJP has been using the issue for political gains ahead of the Lok Sabha election. BJP is trying to create communal tension to gain political mileage," he charged, and questioned as to why the party could not build a temple in the past four-and-a-half years.

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