Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Jun 26: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president D K Shivakumar chose to compare politics to agriculture. "I have undertaken the tour with the specific purpose of giving the party a lift in areas where it has not been doing well of late," he explained. He was addressing a meeting of the party activists held on Thursday June 25 at the district Congress office here.

"Like in agriculture, one needs to work constantly to get good harvest. If we become dormant, we fail to get good harvest in the elections," he explained. He said, the party will be infused with fresh enthusiasm by appointing coordinators at the district level, rewarding five block presidents and five coordinators who succeed in registering highest number of members to the party, to the committees of the union government etc.

Addressing a press conference later, he said, as per the high command guidelines, only those who have commitment and are ready to shoulder responsibilities would be made office bearers. As per the 'Aam Admi' scheme, which is the brain child of Rahul Gandhi, district level teams would be formed to keep a watch on the proper utilization of the central government grants, he revealed. He criticized the state government for trying to get publicity rather than working for the people's benefit. Shivakumar pointed out that the Chief Minister himself has admitted to his failure. He said, he wants to give more positions to the younger activists, to properly analyze loss of individual candidates and come up with remedial measures to woo the voters towards the party again.

Former ministers Vasant Salian and K Jayaprakash Hegde, ex-MP Vinay Kumar Sorake, state Womens Congress leader Shyamala Bhandary, MLA Gopal Bhandary, Pramod Madhwaraj etc., also addressed the activists. Earlier in the day, Shivakumar paid obeisance to Lord Krishna by visiting Sri Krishna Mutt, where Paryaya Puttige Mutt head Sugunendra Swamiji offered Prasadam to him.