Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Aug 10: While the visit of Veerappa Moily to the district, the first after his elevation to the position of the country's law minister, has brought apparent happiness to the Congress camp in the district, which is yet to recover from the Lok Sabha defeat, there are a few who are worried.

The Veerappa Moily camp is enthusiastic about Moily's visit. The other camp, perceived to be opposed to Moily, too is showing that it is happy. There is however, a lurking fear in the opposing camp about their fate.

The party, shell-shocked by the defeat of its Lok Sabha candidate Janardhan Poojary, whose victory was thought to be a cake-walk, is yet to recover fully. The inertia of its leaders and the fight between different factions on petty issues, have delivered a blow to the vibrancy of the party. The faction loyal to Moily now hopes that it would get a chance to steer the district committee of the party.

As soon as Moily was made the law minister, a delegation led by district Congress president and MLA Ramanath Rai had met him in New Delhi. Reportedly, Moily gave a tongue-lashing to the delegation. He questioned their propriety in unanimously recommending the name of Janardhan Poojary to the local Lok Sabha seat and then failing to ensure his victory. The comment made by Vinay Kumar sorake that, the defeat of Poojary, the incident in which the BJP winning candidate Nalin Kumar Kateel had thanked the Congress leaders for his victory and the inertia shown by the leaders, together had given rise to a suspicion in his mind that the party had joined hands with the BJP, reportedly have frustrated Ramanath Rai. In all likelihood, he may opt out of the organizational affairs of the party.

The state leadership has already made clear that it is in favour of making sweeping changes in the party organizational set up all over the state, to bring back the party to winning ways. The visit of Moily, who is close to the central leadership, might just give fillip to this process.