Senior Congress leader B. Janardhana Poojary on Friday said the Congress, having failed to resolve rumblings in the selection of candidates for the ensuing elections to the council of the Mangaluru City Corporation, appears to be giving the reigns of the corporation to the Bharatiya Janata Party on a platter.
Speaking to presspersons here, Mr. Poojary said many senior functionaries were deserting the party being unhappy over the mode of selection of candidates.
While the INTUC had sought at least four seats, as per the wish of party leader Rahul Gandhi who had said INTUC should be given representation in electoral politics, not a single ticket was given to the union functionaries. Consequently, senior INTUC leader Shashiraj Ambat has resigned from his primary membership of the party, he said.
Asked whether he was supporting the BJP, Mr. Poojari retorted, “Where did I say that the BJP was a bad party? But the Congress is the best party, however, it is getting affected because of deteriorating quality of many leaders”.
Mr. Poojary’s confidant, Kallige Taranath Shetty, said former Mayor Purandardas Kulur resigned from his primary membership after being denied ticket from Derebail Ward 17.
The allegations of Mr. Kulur facing a criminal case of treasure hunting at Jagalur police station was not completely true as he was already acquitted in the case, Mr. Shetty claimed.
Similarly, many other leaders were deserting the party over the ill-treatment at the hands of a handful of leaders, Mr. Shetty said.
Asked whether District Congress President K. Harish Kumar, who Mr. Poojary had groomed, tendered his apology as demanded by the latter on Tuesday, Mr. Poojary said he did not.
Mr. Poojary said that he had advised the leaders to resolve issues over ticket distribution.
However, they have not done so and would have to shed tears on November 14, the day of counting of votes for the MCC elections, he added.
