Pics: Abhijith N Kolpe
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (ANK)
Mangaluru, Jul 16: Reacting to the statement of BJP state president who urged Siddaramaiah to announce Mallikarjuna Kharge as a chief minister candidate, district Congress president, Harish Kumar rebuked the opposition for making such a statement.
Addressing media here on Friday, July 16, Harish Kumar said, "If BJP is thinking about who should Congress appoint as the chief minister candidate then it seems as though BJP is not confident that they will reign in 2023. BJP state president mentioned Kharge's name because he is a Dalit. Kharge is a senior Congress leader and he is not limited to only the Dalit community. Congress has given the opportunity to everyone to be a chief minister but BJP has not done so. The party only offered posts to ministers from Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities.
"Nalin Kumar Kateel referred to Siddaramaiah as a cheater. But that is not true as it is BJP failed to fulfil their promises to the citizens. Under the Siddaramaiah government, all promises were fulfilled. Yettinahole project was announced by Siddaramaiah and Nalin Kumar Kateel had opposed it back then. Today the BJP MP is speaking in favour of Yettinahole," he said.
Mangaluru has become a 'flood' city
"Monsoons have arrived and thanks to the Smart City works, Mangaluru has turned into a 'flood' city. People will need to travel by boat because of the waterlogged roads. When Pumpwell flyover was inaugurated, Congress had pointed out its unscientific construction. Even the service roads did not have proper drainage facility," the Congress leader said.
"Travelling to the airport now takes an hour after the bridge developed cracks. No measures were taken even after a month. Due to landslide, the train services have been stopped. From Mangaluru to Karwar we witness landslides every year why is it that the BJP MP cannot take discuss with experts to solve this issue once and for all. On the other hand, the Pachanady bridge has been lying incomplete for five years. Instead of concentrating on these unfinished works, MP Kateel is worried about who should Congress pick as the chief minister candidate," he added.
Speaking on vaccination coverage of the country, Harish said, "Out of 139 crores, only 7.78 crore people have received two doses which comes to 5.7 per cent. Meanwhile, only 14 crore people have taken their first dose which is only 10%. 16 months of this pandemic and only 5.7% of people have been inoculated which is not a great number. This number should reach 75% in the next couple of months."
On the matter of selection of CM candidate, the Congress leader, "It is not a party decision. However, discussions are on in this matter, but CM post is a personal choice. Our primary focus is to be prepared for the upcoming election and secure a victory by majority votes."