Bhatkal: The Karnataka Rajya Muslim Okkoota (KRMO), a recently formed umbrella body, held special meetings in Kumta and Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district on Monday to mobilise Muslim organisations and press the Karnataka government to fulfil the election promises it made to the community.

The meetings, held in Kumta in the morning and in Sirsi after Asr prayers, were attended by representatives of Muslim organisations and institutions from different taluks of the district. The organisers said the objective was to unite community organisations under a common platform and strengthen the Okkoota's organisational network across the state.

Addressing the gatherings, KRMO State Convener Yaseen Malpe of Udupi said the Congress had made ten key promises to Muslims before coming to power and that the community had largely supported the party in the Assembly elections. He claimed that, three years into the government's tenure, only one of those promises—the withdrawal of the BJP-era hijab order—had been implemented, while the remaining commitments were yet to be fulfilled.

Malpe said the Okkoota was expanding its organisational structure across Karnataka by forming district-level committees after holding meetings in cities including Mysuru, Bengaluru and Hubballi. He alleged that Muslims across the country were facing challenges affecting mosques, madrasas and even Muslim universities, making it necessary for the community to have a united platform to raise their concerns.

He further said a delegation of the Okkoota had met Muslim ministers and legislators, urging them to press the party leadership to implement the pending promises. According to him, even these leaders were ignored when the issue was raised before the Congress high command.

Regional Okkoota Convener Abdul Rafi Kudroli of Mangaluru criticised the Congress government, alleging that it had treated Muslims merely as a vote bank and failed to honour most of its commitments to the community despite claiming to have fulfilled the majority of its election promises. He urged Muslims to remain united and collectively pursue their constitutional and democratic rights.

The meetings were attended by Uttara Kannada Convener Inayatullah Shabandari, Mohsin Qazi, Riyaz Ahmed, Dr. Megboob Kulla, Abdul Qadir Anwatti, Nasir Khan, Abdul Munaf Mirjankar, Abdul Azeez Nadvi, Qamar Sada, and office-bearers representing various Muslim organisations from across the district.