The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘Government abdicated its responsibility’

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Tuesday, Nov 10, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Government abdicated its responsibility’

Special Correspondent

For BJP leaders infighting became more important than providing relief to people: Oscar

— Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Review meet: (From left) AICC leader Oscar Fernandes; his wife, Blossom; Union Minister for Labour and Employment M. Mallikarjun Kharge; N. Dharam Singh, MP; and Minister of State for Railways K.H. Muniyappa at a party meeting in Bangalore on Monday.

BANGALORE: Chairman of the All-India Congress Committee’s Central Election Authority Oscar Fernandes on Monday came down on the infighting in the State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party, saying it had become more important for the leaders than providing succour to the flood-affected people of the State.

He termed it as a big lapse on the part of the Government.

He was speaking to presspersons after addressing a review meeting of the progress made in the membership drive as part of the AICC’s programme at the national level to hold elections to all posts from the village panchayat level.

The meeting was attended by Union Ministers M. Mallikarjun Kharge (Labour and Employment) and K.H. Muniyappa (Railways); Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman K. Rahman Khan; former Chief Minister and MP N. Dharam Singh; AICC secretary Shantaram Naik; Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president R.V. Deshpande; KPCC working president D.K. Shivakumar; Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah and Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council V.S. Ugrappa.

Party office-bearers from the districts and of the KPCC, MPs, MLAs, former legislators, and those who were defeated in the recent elections also participated in it.

Mr. Deshpande said that the patch-up between Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and the Ministers from Bellary was like a forced marriage and it might rupture any time. The two leaders said that the administration had failed in the State.

Mr. Fernandes said that 1,370 delegates attended the meeting. He said that the election process would start from January 1, culminating with elections in the same year. The salient feature of the drive was that each person had to give two photographs and pay Rs. 3 as membership fee. The workers had visited all the villages, boosting the morale of the party.

He said that 1.33 lakh books containing 25 forms had been distributed and there was likelihood of enrolling 33 lakh people in the State.

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