Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (JD)

Udupi, Feb 15: Shobha Karandlanje, the Member of Parliament representing the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru constituency, emphatically declared that this region remains her constituency as the upcoming Lok Sabha elections draw near.

In a conversation with the media, Shobha stated, "My name is appearing from many constituencies. At least 5-6 constituencies are asserting my name. But Udupi-Chikkamagaluru is my constituency. The people of this constituency made me win even though I was completely new to them. There is no question of me shifting to other constituencies. However, if the party wants me to change, I will obey that and abide by the party's decision. Many development works have been done in the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru constituency. I have decided to go for a campaign based on my development works alone."

Addressing the recent return of JP Hegde to Congress, Shobha Karandlanje expressed, "I do not know who returns to Congress and who stays in BJP. Those who have benefited from BJP and leave at this moment will face their own losses. It's not like we come when the party is in power and return when not in power. I request those who are planning to leave the party to stay back. We have a golden opportunity to make Narendra Modi the prime minister again. Let us all work towards this."

Commenting on the ongoing protests in Delhi, Shobha Karandlanje, the Minister of State for Farmer Welfare and Agriculture, stated, "The protests in Delhi are politically oriented. The Swaminathan committee had given 207 recommendations, of which the report was kept in deep cold storage by the UPA government. The 207 recommendations were completely instituted by the Modi government alone. MSP is one among these recommendations. The report suggested increasing the MSP to one and a half times more than the cost. We are providing MSP to 22 crops. But still, farmers have come to Delhi. As the elections are nearing, this is a politically oriented protest in the name of farmers. This is part of a conspiracy by a few organizations and international movements. The central government is ready to have a discussion with the farmers."

Responding to questions from the media about expectations from Siddaramaiah's 15th budget, Shobha Karandlanje criticized, "The 15th budget of Siddaramaiah is a flop. The government has no funds at all. The treasury is completely used for guarantee schemes. Today that is also not working. They promised free bus passes for women, but only 20% of the buses are running; the rest 80% buses have been halted. Government employees' salaries are delayed. Two months ago, judges' salaries were eight days delayed. This is the fate of Karnataka," she concluded.