Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (MS/SP)
Puttur, Oct 27: Congress MLA from Puttur, Shakuntala Shetty, vehemently denied the rumours that are making rounds in the social sites about her defection to BJP.
Similar rumours have surfaced on numerous occasions in the last one year and the MLA has denied them each and every time. Once she even gave clarification on this issue in the meeting of Congress party. This time also the MLA said, "There is no question of me deserting the Congress party,"
There were posts on social sites saying that Shakuntala Shetty will join BJP once again at the threshold of the assembly elections. Some even predicted that she will join BJP after the Dakshina Kannada visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 29. The same news was making rounds even in the TV channels. The MLA has put an end to all these rumours by posting on her facebook that she will not resign from Congress party.
Shakuntala Shetty also said, "I joined Congress four and a half years ago and the party has given me lots of opportunities to grow. I will not leave Congress."
Party leader accuses MLA of cold-shouldering original Congressmen
Member of Land Tribunal, Boodiyar Purushotham Rai, has accused MLA Shakuntala Shetty of not having any feeling of commitment towards Congress. He said that the MLA has allegiance with Congress only in her talks and by soul, she is not with the party. He accused her of not favourably responding to the needs of original Congressmen.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday October 26, Rai charged Shakuntala with not meeting the promises of providing roads and other development works. At the same time, he said that the MLA has been more than willing to respond to the demands of the opposition members.
"The MLA is wrong in saying that I had got people from BJP elected to the managing committee of Ullal Lord Vishnumurthy temple. It is true that those who were supported by me were elected. But all of them belong to Congress," Rai asserted.
Rai said that he had been chosen by the government to Land Tribunal for the second term, but he received notice dated September 7, dismissing him from the post. He said he has brought stay order through the high court against his dismissal and that the MLA and her close ones had brought pressure on officials on this issue. "I have complained against Shakuntala Shetty to Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, party leaders, Venugopal, Vishnunathan, chief minister and some ministers, he said.
Basheer Boodiyar, Sunil D'Souza Malar, Ayub Gadaje and Jagadish Rai Dimbri were present at the press conference.