Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Nov 7: The video showing differences of opinion within Dakshina Kannada district Congress in connection with the choosing a candidate for Moodbidri constituency as successor to Abhayachandra Jain has gone viral. The discontentment brewing within the party came into the open on this occasion, in the presence of in-charge of Congress party affairs in Karnataka, K C Venugopal.
The video shows a crowd of party workers stopping the car in which Venugopal was seated, when he was leaving the venue after taking part in the party workers meeting on Monday at the district Congress office here. The crowd tried to hand over a memorandum to him. Amidst the melee, Venugopal received the petition after which the car moved ahead. It is being analyzed that the war for Moodbidri assembly nomination has hotted up and difference have been threatening to open a wedge between party activists of the region.
Ivan D'Souza, Mithun Rai
District youth Congress president, Mithun Rai, is an aspirant for the party ticket from this constituency and it is said that he has the blessings of current MLA, Abhayachandra Jain, who had earlier made known his desire not to contest in the election again. MLC, Ivan D'Souza, has opened an office at Moodbidri, indirectly hinting at his plans to bag Congress ticket from here, and undertaking passive campaign in the area for himself.
It is said that the crowd in its petition, said that their unanimous choice for Moodbidri seat happens to be Mithun Rai, and urged the party leadership to issue party ticket to him. Sources in Congress confirmed this information. The crowd also wanted the office of Ivan D'Souza at Moodbidri to be closed down.
People close to Mithun Rai however claimed that there were no differences as such, and only a petition listing out certain demands to be met was handed over to Venugopal on this occasion.
It is gathered that Mithun Rai left for Bengaluru on Monday night to meet campaign committee president, D K Shivakumar after getting a call from the latter. There is curiosity about the purpose of this urgent call among Congress circles here.