Mangalore: Cong Veterans urge Activists to Put Collective efforts in winning Janardhan Poojary in LS

By Staff Correspondant
Pics by John V Tauro
Bellevision Media Network

Mangalore, 25 Mar 2014: Dakshina Kannada (DK) District Congress Committee (DCC) organized party activists convention at Town Hall here on Monday March 24.  The veteran Congressmen at the convention appealed to the party activists, in order to put their collective efforts in winning their candidate Bantwal Janardhan Poojary, who is contesting in the upcoming LS polls in Mangalore.   

 

The veteran Congress leader and union minister Oscar Fernandes inaugurated the party convention at Town Hall here on Monday morning.

 

Speaking on the occasion, the minister Oscar recalled Janardhan Poojary’s efforts when Congress had been defeated in north India and was facing a tough time. ‘At that time, it was Poojary who struggled for the party and made Indira Gandhi the Prime Minister by helping her contest LS polls and win from Chikmagalur. The contributions of Poojary, Veerappa Moily and the late Blasius D’Souza to this region are immense,’ said minister Oscar.

 

‘Poojary is a person who has always supported the party workers. During the last assembly elections his efforts in organizing padayatra and campaigns resulted in us winning 7 out of 8 constituencies in DK district and registering a historic comeback. We should salute him for those wins,’ said minister Oscar.

 

‘UPA government under the initiative of chairperson Sonia Gandhi is providing rice at Rs 1 per kilogram to the poor. The Congress has been working towards bringing people out from the shackles of poverty, empowering women and bringing social and economic justice to every person, and also to empower the suppressed classes,’ stressed minister Oscar.

 

DK district-in-charge minister Ramanath Rai said, ‘The upcoming LS polls are significant indeed for the nation. Janardhan Poojary is an active and creative leader who attended LS sessions regularly.  He learnt about the problems of the district and tried his best to address such issues. He was the one who nationalized our banks when he was the union finance ministry and made them accessible to the poor. He thus came to be known as ’Poor Man’s Poojary’.

 

‘In our party election, we showed that all are united. Today, our responsibility has increased. We should make sure Poojary wins with majority of votes and we should also create awareness among the people about his contribution to society. He is a good politician with good character and promptness which is appreciated by the opposition too,’ said minister Ramanath.

 

 

 

‘We should compare the work done by Poojary and BJP candidate Nalin Kumar Kateel. What did Nalin Kumar do for the district? His contribution was zero. When the budget was being presented he was busy inaugurating a textile showroom. Why should such people be elected?’ said minister Ramanath.

 

Attacking BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi, minister Ramanath said, ‘Its during last assembly elections in May 2013, when there was Modi wave, he came to Mangalore and still we won 7 out of 8 seats. Today, only Modi is projected because the BJP has lost value. They are selling Modi tea, chocolates and buttermilk,’ said minister Ramanath.

 

‘They talk about corruption and then bring Eshwarappa, who had a note counting machine, to this district of intellectuals to preach about corruption,’ added minister Ramanath.

 

Congress Lok Sabha candidate Janardhan Poojary said, ‘As per the instructions of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, I got the ticket to contest in the upcoming LS polls in Mangalore. Some people have been saying I should not talk. I will not talk but you (party workers) should talk and tell people in every nook and corner about the contributions of Congress in uplifting the poor and BJP’s failure. Then there is no need for Poojary to speak,’ said Janardhan.

 

‘I used to speak out when there were cases of assault on women. We should respect them. This is my pledge and my commitment. I believe in secularism, in treating everyone as equals. When women are insulted should I remain silent? When Muslims are facing problems should I be silent? This nation belongs to everyone and protecting rights of women and all people is our dharma. We have reservations for different classes, but there are many poor even in the upper castes, and I have been saying this from long. When I was the union finance minister, I had a plan to bring a project with DK as the centre for employment, but BJP never allowed it and the project got stuck after BJP came to power. If I come to power again I will bring it back,’ said Poojary.

 

‘Presently, BJP is seeking votes in the name of Modi and not in the name of Nalin Kumar Kateel or BJP. Hence when they don’t talk of BJP or Nalin, it means Modi is my opponent, and that is why I want him to contest from here,’ said Poojary.

 

The veteran BJP leaders - L K Advani, Jaswant Singh and Sushma Swaraj have been sidelined in the BJP and they were ready to take Pramod Muthalik who instigated the pub attack,’ Poojary lashed out.

 

Making a final appeal for support and indirectly hinting at Veerappa Moily, Poojary said, ‘I never tried to bring my family members to power. I have carried dead bodies on my shoulders thinking that their families’ sufferings were mine. I have worked for society,’ said Poojary.

 

JDS activist M D Aslam, retired DCP Dharmaiah, Joseph Pinto, KJP member Mariamma Thomas, All College Students’ Union president Dinakar Shetty, , Sandeep Kankanady and others joined Congress party on the occasion.

 

The minister Vinay Kumar Sorake also spoke.

 

Blossom Fernandes, Shakuntala Shetty, J R Lobo, Mohiuddin Bava, B A Moideen, Mohammed Masood, Vijayakumar Shetty, Ibrahim Kodijal, Ivan D’ Souza, Mahabala Marla, Mamata Gatti and others were present.