Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (DV)
Mangaluru, Dec 19: Candidate for upcoming MLC elections Harikrishna Bantwal, who was recently expelled from the Congress for opposing the party's official candidate Pratapchandra Shetty and contesting as an independent, on Saturday December 19 lashed out at the party leaders and said that Oscar Fernandes and Vinay Kumar Sorake were to be blamed if Congress gets wiped out in Dakshina Kannada constituency.
Addressing a press meet here, Harikrishna Bantwal slammed Pratapchandra Shetty and said, "He has no voice to speak about gram panchayat issues in the Legislative Council. He has not attended any of the government meetings in the last five years. If anyone can produce a photograph of Pratapchandra attending a governmnt meeting, I will award him Rs 1 lac.
"Vinay Kumar Sorake and Oscar Fernandes have been saying that they had held discussions with party workers in every block before choosing the candidate. There are 15 Congress block units in Dakshina Kannada. Where did they hold meetings and with which MLA? All party workers suggested my name for the MLC polls, and even the district Congress interim president reccommended my name to the KPCC. All sincere party workers should think about this.
"After this MLC election, Congress will have to face serious consequences in zilla panchayat and taluk panchayat elections. If the Congress gets wiped away in Dakshina Kannada, it is not because of any other party but because of leaders like Oscar and Sorake," he charged.
"I will meet all the panchayat members in all the 13 constituencies. Vinay Kumar Sorake and Oscar Fernandes are threatening the panchayat members saying that the party can easily identify who they vote for. Criminal action should be taken against them for making such statements. The voting system in India is such that a son would not know who his father voted for," he said.
"There is no internal democracy in Congress and no opportunity for new faces. There is a big generation gap.
Vijaykumar Shetty had been assured of MLC ticket, but why did he not get it? Party workers are assets. People should teach a good lesson to Oscar and Sorake," he added.
Elaborating on his plans if he were to be elected MLC, Harikrishna said, "If the voters elect me as MLC, I will raise my voice against the Yettinahole project and try to stop it. I will also urge the government to increase the monthly honorarium to Rs 2,000 for gram panchayat members, for Rs 3,000 for vice-president and Rs 5,000 for president.
"I will also demand Rs 50 lac grant for each gram panchayat and Rs 3 lac to Rs 5 lac development fund for each panchayat member. There should also be one engineer for three-to-four gram panchayats," he added.
"The gram panchayat is the grassroot decision making body and its representatives are the only ones who reach the people and not any MLA or MP. Only the gram panchayat members can address the problems of the people, hence their honorarium should be increased," he opined.
He further said, "Honorariums to taluk panchayat, municipal council, town panchayat and municipal corporation members should be increased to Rs 5,000 and their presidents should get Rs 10,000 and vice-presidents Rs 7,000 along with travelling allowances.
"I will also urge the government to sanction a grant of Rs one crore to each taluk panchayat and Rs 15 lac per member as development fund. The zilla panchayat and corporation members should get Rs 10,000 per month, and the president or mayor Rs 30,000 and deputy mayor and vice-president Rs 20,000," he added.
"These are the main problems of the gram panchayat, but no one has raised these issues in the Legislative Council. Kota Srinivas Poojary has raised some of the issues but not all, and not effectively. Hence to bring all these issues to the notice of the government and raise them in the Council, voters should give their first preference to me," he contended.