Former Minister Ramanath Rai has said that the BJP has failed to woo voters of Dakshina Kannada in the name of incumbent MP Nalin Kumar Kateel.
“The party members are, therefore, seeking votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP should, however, clarify on the contribution of both Modi and Kateel to the district,” said Rai, who is also the president of the Coalition Publicity Committee for Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency.
He was addressing a press meet in the city on Wednesday.
‘No answers’
Rai said that former MPs B Shiva Rao, B Janardhana Poojary and Srinivas Mallya had contributed to the development of the district. “The BJP leaders should inform what the contributions of the incumbent MP are. Some persons, without understanding the reality, have been raising slogans in the name of Modi. They have, however, no answers when asked about the contribution of Modi to the district,” he stressed.
“The BJP has credit for shifting the Mazagon Dock from Mangaluru to Mumbai. Now, an attempt is being made to shift the research centre at Kidu to Hyderabad. Vijaya Bank, a pride of Dakshina Kannada, was merged with Bank of Baroda and Dena Bank,” he pointed out.
To a query on Kateel’s claim that development work worth Rs 16,500 crore had been initiated in Dakshina Kannada, Ramanath Rai said that the money had been received by the gram panchayats under the CRF funds was also being calculated by the MP to claim as his contribution. The Smart City projects are yet to take off in Mangaluru, he added.
“Thus, being unable to show his face to voters, Kateel is seeking votes in the name of Modi,” criticised the former minister.
Merger under UPA
Rai, coming down heavily on those who claimed that the Vijaya Bank merger had been initiated during the UPA tenure, said, “Kateel had been the MP for Dakshina Kannada then too. Why did he not raise his voice in the Parliament then? The allegations against the Congress on the merger of Vijaya Bank is an attempt to mislead the people of the district.”
Further, he said, “There was also no fault of the Congress in the issue renaming the Light House Hill Road after Mulki Sunderram Shetty. A fact-finding committee led by the deputy commissioner was constituted when I had been the district in-charge minister. Now, the deputy commissioner has to take decision in this regard.”
Rai said that none the promises made by the Modi had been fulfilled in the last five years. “The Congress has not done any injustice to the people of the country. It is also not scared of Modi in the election,” he stated.