Mysuru: Stating that Mysuru is his native place and that he spent his student days in the city, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Rizwan Arshad said Mysuru had provided him a platform for his political foray.

He recalled that senior journalists, including Star of Mysore and Mysuru Mithra Founder-Editor late Dr. K.B. Ganapathy, had encouraged him during his early political career.

He was speaking at ‘Meet the Press’ programme organised by Mysuru District Journalists Association (MDJA) at its premises on Thyagaraja Road this morning.

“Mysuru is a special city and I have now got an opportunity to serve the people of the State as a Minister. Though power is not eternal, the things we do while holding responsible positions matter much in society. I left Mysuru for Bengaluru seeking greener pastures in politics and succeeded, becoming an MLA from Shivajinagar twice. I now have an opportunity to serve as a Minister and will serve the people of Mysuru to the best of my ability,” he said.

Commenting on his Ministry, Rizwan said as many as 4.5 lakh ration cards had been cancelled, of which 55,000 were now under review. He noted that strict measures had been taken to prevent the black marketing of ration articles, especially rice.

Asserting that modern technology would be used to prevent pilferage and theft of ration articles, he said the Department had launched a drive to install CCTV cameras at all godowns.

The Minister said major reforms would be introduced in his Department. He also said biometric-related issues would be rectified to ensure fair distribution.

Welcoming the RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent statement on communal harmony at an event in New York, Arshad said he believed that Bhagwat’s statement was more about changing the organisation’s image than bringing about real change.

Strongly condemning the ‘purification’ of the spot where AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a gathering at Haldwani in Uttarakhand, he said it was a classic example of untouchability still existing in the country.

Rizwan Arshad was honoured by the MDJA on the occasion. MDJA President K. Deepak, senior journalist T. Gururaj, former MDJA President C.K. Mahendra, MDJA office-bearers and others were present.