Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Oct 27: Former union minister and veteran Congress leader, B Janardhana Poojary, has wholeheartedly backed the demand by Muslim community for the Lok Sabha ticket from Congress party in Dakshina Kannada (DK) constituency.
Poojary, speaking to a Kannada daily, said that the Muslim leaders are justified in holding a meeting of political, social and religious leaders and staking claim for Lok Sabha ticket from his party. "I am with them in this demand. It would not suffice if they sit quiet. They may have to carry on their fight for the seat on a large scale if they are determined to get the ticket," he felt.
Muslims have been seeking ticket from this constituency since the last one decade, but their demand has not been upheld by Congress party. Even just before the previous election, internal election was held by the Congress to choose between the candidatures of Janardhana Poojary and Kanachur Monu, in which Poojary emerged with more support.
This time, Mangaluru Lok Sabha Constituency Action Committee has been freshly formed. Muslim central committees of the twin-districts and other leaders have held joint meeting, and placed several demands and resolutions before the Congress leadership. The action committee, which has predominantly members from the Congress, also has leaders of JD(S) and SDPI. Currently, discussions have been on about who could be put up as Congress candidate next year, and social websites have been pooling popular opinions.
At the meeting, zilla panchayat member, Shahul Hameed, had said that even to get zilla panchayat ticket, Muslims have to beg for the same with Congress leaders. Veteran Congress leader, Kodijal Ibrahim, who had remained silent at the meeting when this remark was passed, had clarified the next day that his community had got more zilla panchayat tickets than what was demanded.
It is said that the formation of the action committee has created a piquant situation for Congress leaders as others in the committee naturally confront them with questions like what will they do if the party does not agree to field Muslim candidate, whether they will desert the party, and whether they will steadfastly remain with the community. The committee has decided to approach Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee and All India Congress Committee through ministers, U T Khader and Zameer Ahmed Khan. One of the agendas of the committee is to sink party differences and fight for a ticket if the party denies it. All the members have agreed to be bound by the decisions of the committee, duly overlooking their individual political views.
Reacting to the development, former minister, B Ramanath Rai, stated that Congress is a secular party and everyone has the right to demand party ticket. He clarified that he would have been in a position to clarify if it was internal matter of the party, saying that Lok Sabha ticket is beyond his purview and that the party's high command will decide about it.