Mounesh Vishwakarma

Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (EP)

Bantwal, Nov 10: “Congress has come to power in Bantwal municipal council with majority votes and there was no meeting held with SDPI before it. Harikrishna Bantwal who alleges that there was a meeting between the parties in a hotel should produce a suitable proof for it,” challenged former minister B Ramanath Rai.

Speaking in a news conference held in Panemangalore block Congress office on Tuesday, he said that BJP and JD(S) had entered into a secret pact in Ullal municipal council elections. “No such thing has happened in Bantwal. Let BJP recollect bringing two SDPI members in the car of MP Nalin Kumar Kateel for Bantwal municipal council in the past and made them vote for BJP along with making SDPI member Abhinabhi Sheikh as standing committee president,” he said.

Not fit to be gram panchayat member:

“I have been a minister for 13 years. Six times MLA. I contested in the elections eight times. But Harikrishna Bantwal who is not even fit to stand for even one gram panchayat elections is personally attacking me. I have always worked sincerely. I have not named anybody including Harikrishna Bantwal in my allegations. I do not believe in playing politics like the way Harikrishna Bantwal does. Several people including Sharath Madiwal, Nasir, Ashraf, Harish Poojary, Bharathi, Abdulla etc were murdered. Everybody knows that the investigations into the murders of Bharathi and Abdulla have not been conducted properly. BJP had said that Harikrishna Bantwal is behind the murder of Bharathi. But I did not say it. But there was propaganda adding my name, and I was defeated,” he said.

Harikrishna is a deceitful person:

“There is no other person as deceitful in the district politics. He has cheated after taking money from the opposition party,” he said.

“I had alleged that mining is taking place using the licence in the name of the wife of an MLA in the district. But I had not mentioned the name of the MLA. I will expose the matter after obtaining suitable records,” he said.

“I am a sincere Congress member. I have worked for a long time after getting elected by people. Nalin and Rajesh Naik will definitely face problems from Harikrishna Bantwal in the future,” he said.

Municipal council president Mohammed Sharif, vice president Jacintha, district panchayat member M S Mohammed, Chandraprakash Shetty, Padmashekar Jain, block Congress president Sudeep Kumar Shetty, Baby Kunder, Mayilappa Salian and others were present.