Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (JS)

Mangaluru, Jun 23: Days after MP Nalin Kumar Kateel of BJP was termed as the number one MP in the state as per a survey carried out by a Kannada daily and was honoured by the BJP for this achievement, district incharge minister Ramanath Rai raised strong objections and questioned the achievements of Nalin Kumar.

Addressing a press meet at the district Congress office here on Tuesday June 23, Rai said, "Nalin Kumar Kateel's cut-outs are put throughout the district terming him as the number one MP in terms of fund utilization. I cannot understand this criteria.
"Nalin Kumar may be called number one among BJP MPs, but not overall. We have national highway project from BC Road to Suratkal for which Rs 26 crore was sanctioned for construction of service road. He could not get it implemented. There is a rule without service road toll cannot be collected. I have spoken to officials many times but what has he done in this regard?" he questioned.

"Shiradi Ghat road project was sanctioned by the UPA government when Oscar Fernandes was the minister of road transport and highways. But Nalin Kumar Kateel visited Shiradi Ghat and tried to depict it as a BJP project," Rai claimed.

"Upgrading Mangaluru junction railway station to international standards was also UPA's project. There is saying in Tulu - 'Suddhi mallena guddu mallena' - that is doing small things but giving big publicity. If he is number one MP then we want IIT, smart city, international railway station and a full-fledge passport office here in Mangaluru. Let him get these done," he said.

"Mallikarjuna Kharge has built central library in Gulbarga. Dakshina Kannada being a district of the educated also needs a top-end central library," he added.

"I have questioned through RTI as to how much money had come to zilla panchayat during UPA's tenure, and I found that under different schemes a lot of grant was given to Dakshina Kannda district even when BJP was in power (in the state). BJP spoke about corruption-free government, but what does it have to say about the Lalitgate in which union minister Sushma Swaraj is involved?" he said.

Taking a further dig at the BJP, he said, "Narendra Modi cut-outs are gone, and now they have come up with MP's cut-outs. BJP is cheating people by putting up such cut-outs. BJP is a party which is confined only to publicity. People have to understand that BJP is cheating them."

When reporters asked about the pending Town Hall renovation work, he indirectly blamed the former MCC commissioner Hephsiba Rani Korlapati and said, "A so-called upright officer had promised to complete the work in three months in a review meeting held in January, but the work is not completed yet. Yesterday (Monday June 22) a special meeting was called and the work will be completed by August. We can just implement, but for the project to complete, officers also need to work on it. It is not only the mayor's responsibility, the officials also need to cooperate."

When pointed out that MLC Ivan D'Souza has asked for a probe into the Town Hall work, he said, "Let Lokayukta come and probe, we have no problem. We have been in public life for so long. Let them do an enquiry and let the truth come out."

When asked about the pending work on Padil-Bajal railway underbridge, former mayor Shashidhar Hegde again blamed the former MCC commissioner and said, "The railway department handed over the project to MCC and given a feasibility for road construction, but the commissioner kept that file pending from three months."

Commenting further on Korlapati's tranfer, Rai said, "When BJP leaders met me personally, they said now that the MCC commissioner has been tranferred, work can be done in the city. But in the media they are giving statements that she was a good officer and her transfer was wrong."

Mayor Jacintha Alfred, deputy mayor Purushottam, corporator Vinayraj, MUDA chairman Kodijal and corporator Kavitha, PV Mohan, and others were present.