Daijiworld Media Network - Karkala (SP)

Karkala, Apr 20: Congress workers and supporters of Uday Kumar Shetty Muniyal have continued to employ pressure tacics in an effort to get party ticket for their leader in the upcoming assembly election.

By holding protests at various places seeking ticket for Muniyal, Congress activists have dragged the inter-party dissidence to the streets. However, the party leaders have not shown an inclination to change their stand on not issuing ticket to him. Therefore, over 300 supporters of Muniyal visited district Congress office at Udupi and urged the district president to issue ticket to Muniyal in place of Gopal Bhandary.

During the visit to the district Congress office, Muniyal's supporters heldl talks with the party's district president for over an hour. They claimed that the party has issued ticket wrongly to Gopal Bhandary, although he has not involved himself with the party organization. They accused MP and former union minister, Veerappa Moily, of blocking chances of Muniyal on account of nepotism to favour his own son. They also said that Veerappa Moily has been working to destroy Congress in Karkala constituency.

"When Congress had bitten dust in this constituency, Muniyal Uday Kumar Shetty resurrected the party and brought it back to the place of eminence. The party is wrong in choosing Gopal Bhandary over Muniyal. By today evening, Gopal Bhandary should be dissuaded from fighting the election, and the party ticket should be issued to Muniyal," they demanded.

The workers also warned that in case of failure on the part of the party to act, Muniyal will fight the assembly poll as an independent candidate. District Congress president, Janardana Tonse, and other party leaders who received the memorandum, promised the supporters of Muniayl to bring their views to the attention of the top leadership of the party.