Mangalore: Not in Race for State BJP President Post - Nalin Kumar Kateel
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, Jul 18: Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP from Mangalore Lok Sabha constituency has brushed aside media reports that he is in the race for the coveted post of BJP state President. The post of the state president is vacated by the elevation Eshwarappa as the Dy Chief Minister, in a cosmetic change effected in the BJP government.
The change of guard in Karnataka recently with Jagadish Shettar replacing our coastal leader D V Sadananda Gowda, the media in Karnataka is agog with many rumours. One this was that Nalin Kumar Kateel’s name was in the reckoning for the post of State President, which was music to the ears of BJP supporters in undivided Dakhina Kannada as Kateel hails from this coastal area. They believed that when Sadananda Gowda has been made as the sacrificial goat to placate Yeddyurappa and the Lingayat community, it was a poetic justice to make Kateel as the President to mollify the people of the coastal districts where BJP has a strong base.
When Daijiworld.com met him at the Circuit House late evening yesterday Nalin Kumar put rest to all rumours saying that he is not in contention at all for the post. “It came as a surprise to me when I came to know that my name is in the list through media reports. I know nothing about it and I don’t know from where the rumours originated. I have not even gone to Bangalore after these rumours began to float. If there are rumours I am certainly not behind them”, he asserted totally denying that he is interested in shouldering the post of BJP State President.
He pointed out that change of 2 to 3 Chief Ministers in Karnataka is not something akin only to BJP. Congress had changed its Chief Ministers often and we know Bangarappa was made CM replacing Virendra Patil and again was replaced by Veerappa Moily and we have other similar examples. This is normal in politics, he stated.
When asked whether the resignation of Halady Srinivas Shetty was a big blow to the BJP he said “when we talk about politics there will be differences, anguish, pain, frustrations etc., which is part and parcel of the field. Some people tolerate it silently. I believe Halady will not leave the party because he has a strong ideological commitment to the party. His resignation is the result of communication gap and we hope to set it right soon”. He said that Dr Kalldka Prabhakar Bhat had nothing to do with Halady’s resignation, as reported in a section of the press.
On another coastal BJP strongman Nagaraj Shetty’s resignation from BJP and as Chairman of Coastal Development Authority, he said that BJP leaders are trying to pacify party leaders who are miffed. “In politics it is not wrong to aspire for power or position. It is not wrong to try to get that power. We hope to talk to our leaders to try and set right their grievances”, he declared.
On why C T Ravi from Chickmagalur has been made D Kannada District-in-charge minister denying an opportunity to our own MLA’s, Nalin Kumar Kateel said that there is no reason to believe that injustice is done to undivided Dakshina Kannada. Kota Srinivas Poojary is an ordinary worker who has risen to become minister. Earlier we had two ministers from Mangalore and Udupi, late Dr V S Acharya and Krishna Palemar. We had a Chief Minister who hailed from this region.
“This time we have given a strong message by giving opportunity to MLA’s who were not made ministers earlier and also giving representations to districts which did not have ministerial representation. C T Ravi hails from Chickmagalur which did not have a ministerial berth earlier”, he pointed out.