Mangalore: ZP Post-election Pangs- Frustration for Ramanath Rai Again
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Aug 28: The election of the president and vice-president in Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat (ZP) has affected all the parties concerned. Venkat Dambekody, who functioned as the in-charge president of the zilla panchayat for some time and was hopeful of getting nominated by the party to become permanent incumbent in that post, has been utterly disappointed. Several people from within the BJP are also disillusioned by the fact that the party last time, had to sacrifice the post of the zilla panchayat president to the JDS, while in this tenure, it had to yield to the pressure tactics of dissident Congress members.
District Congress president and MLA Ramanath Rai is a thoroughly disappointed man now, as nothing is going right for him as of now. After the surprise defeat of the Congress Party candidate Janardhan Poojary in the Lok Sabha election, the party had hoped to bring back some of the sheen it had lost, by winning the post of the zilla panchayat president. It had put in lot of efforts in this direction, but failed to achieve anything.
Rai has more reasons to worry. Santosh Kumar Bhandary is considered a strong critic and sworn adversary of Rai. "A few Congressmen have gone against the interests of the party. Congressmen are known for their total dedication and loyalty to the party. The Sangh Parivar, taken aback by my victory, has given both posts of the ZP president and vice-president to Bantwal taluk. Our own people sadly, have been falling prey to the tactics of the BJP," he rued.
He pointed out that Santosh Kumar Bhandary had once won the zilla panchayat election with a Congress ticket. "He then had resigned and joined the BJP. Bhandary chose to return to the Congress fold later, and was offered the party ticket gain, in spite of bitter opposition from many Congressmen. He could become a zilla panchayat member for the second time, as the party trusted him and did him a favour. Sadanand Malli also won from a Congress ticket. Now, both of them have worked against the party interests, even though neither the party nor I did anything against their interests. They are driven by selfishness," Rai rued. Rai said that the party has suffered a temporary set back because of the two people who had also worked against the party during the recent Lok Sabha election and reiterated his resolve to take this incident as a challenge and build the party’s fortunes again in the district. Former ZP president Mamata Gatti also echoed similar sentiments, saying that lack of loyalty on the part of a couple of members, and the BJP's conspiracy had inflicted loss on the party. She hoped that the party leaders will initiate strong disciplinary steps against those concerned.
JDS state general secretary M B Sadashiv said, the party has taken serious view of the action of its two members in supporting the BJP and that it will not tolerate indiscipline. He said that party national president H D Deve Gowda, leader of the legislature party H D Revanna and spokesperson Y S V Dutta have been apprised of the facts and that he expects the party to act against the erring members shortly.
DK district in-charge inister Krishna J Palemar tried to justify the action of the BJP in supporting a person from the Congress Party, by saying that the party chose to support the candidature of a man from another party, as the BJP did not have absolute majority in the house and as they found an able, aspiring candidate in the Congress.
Former ZP president K P Sucharita Shetty from the JDS, who backed the BJP in the election, claimed that the JDS had not served any whip for the voting process in the zilla panchayat election. "If the party wants to expel me from the party, then even ZP member Aziz Malar, who absented himself from the election process, needs to be expelled. Due to the pressure exerted by Aziz Malar, the then president Mamata Gatti of the Congress Party had been forced to step down. JDS members Babu Mogera and Dharanendra Kumar had violated the party whip then. These two members had also openly canvassed for the Congress Party in the elections. Why have they not been expelled?" he questioned.
He also accused Babu Mogerra and Dharanendra Kumar of supporting the Congress Party, even when he himself had contested for the presidentship of the zilla panchayat last time, as per the instructions of the party supremo, Deve Gowda. He questioned the party as to how it has been continuing with its coalition rule in Moodbidri municipal council, where it has been working shoulder to shoulder with the BJP, while strongly resenting any truck with the BJP in all other forums.