A group of fishermen in Udupi on Friday, January 26, demanded that the BJP should field Pramod Madhwaraj, former State Minister for Fisheries, Sports and Youth Empowerment and former Udupi MLA, from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha Constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
Addressing presspersons in Udupi, Kishore D. Suvarna, Secretary, of All India Fishermen’s Association said that the incumbent Member of Parliament from the constituency and the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shobha Karandlaje has the option of contesting from other constituencies in the State. As Mr. Madhwaraj belongs to fishers community, he can do justice the community, he said.
To a question whether Ms. Karandlaje has not done enough in her two terms as a Member of Parliament, he said that the 3.5 km-stretch of National Highway 169A from Adi Udupi to Malpe has still not been made a four-lane highway. The existing narrow road has been causing inconvenience for the movement of traffic, especially for trucks transporting fish from Malpe port to other States. A railway track between Indrali and Malpe will have to be laid. It will make fish transportation to other states easy through trains.
Mr. Suvarna said that the fishing harbour should be modernised. As Mr. Madhwaraj knows the issues of the fisher community he should be given the party ticket, he said adding that the group is not bothered to whom the Congress will issue its ticket to contest from the constituency.
Earlier in Mangaluru, a fishermen leader Ramachandra Baikampady had demanded the BJP ticket for him to contest from Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency.
