Amrit Shenoy, member, All India Congress Committee (AICC), who is contesting as an independent candidate for Udupi-Chikkamagaluru parliamentary constituency, said on Tuesday that BJP candidate Shobha Karandlaje, was inactive and had remained out of touch with the constituents for the last five years as an MP.
Speaking to presspersons here, Mr. Shenoy said that Ms. Karandlaje had also failed to get the Union government to trace the fishing boat from Malpe with seven fishermen onboard, which had gone missing off the Goa coast on December 15, 2018. “When the country has advanced technology to shoot satellites in space, how is it that a fishing boat cannot be traced?” he sought to know.
The last five years had seen no jobs for the youth in the country and the BJP had tried to divide people on the grounds of faith.
Mr. Shenoy said that he had however held the ‘Sarvajanotsava’ here a few weeks ago to emphasise on harmony between various faiths and communities.
The sand removal problem had been plaguing the district for the last few years. But no decision had been taken on the same.
The result of this was that the livelihood of masons, carpenters and others dependent on sand sector had been hit, he held.
Arecanut plantations in Chikkamagaluru belt were suffering from yellow leaf disease. Coffee growers too had their problems. But these had not been solved in the last five years.
If elected as MP, he would hold regular meetings with farmers, fishermen and others every month and represent their problems in the parliament, he said.
To a query, Mr. Shenoy said that he had still not resigned as AICC member and would take a decision on the same shortly. To another query, he said that he was a bigger threat to the BJP than the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) candidate Pramod Madhwaraj in the constituency.
Mr. Shenoy criticised Mr. Madhwaraj and said that the latter should have fought on a Congress ticket.
