Denying the allegation of the former Mangaluru City South MLA J.R. Lobo that 90% of the members in the provisional list of the 60 ward committees are Bharatiya Janata Party activists, Dakshina Kannada District BJP General Secretary and whip in the Mangaluru City Corporation council Sudhir Shetty Kannur said on Thursday that no BJP activist is part of any ward committees.
“I challenge Mr. Lobo to show the names of BJP members in the provisional list,” Mr. Kannur said and accused Mr. Lobo of making false allegation to scuttle the efforts by the BJP-ruled corporation council to constitute ward committees. While stating that the party was committed to keeping ward committees apolitical, Mr. Kannur said that family members of BJP activists can become members of ward committees.
To another allegation by Mr. Lobo about some members of Sevanjali Trust run by Mangaluru South MLA D. Vedavyas Kamath being in the provisional list of committees of some wards, Mr. Kannur said that Sevanjali Trust has been involved in lot of social activities and it is not a political arm of Mr. Kamath. Members of the trust are not associated with the BJP or any other political party, he added.
Mr. Kannur said that many Congress activists, including those who contested in ward nos 56, 33 and 28, are in the provisional list. The BJP will file objections to it and seek removal of these activists.
Stating that the ward committees have been constituted in a transparent manner, Mr. Kannur said that a four-member committee of officials headed by Commissioner Akshy Sridhar scrutinised applications and has released the provisional list of 10 members for each one of the 60 wards. People can submit objections by August 16, he added.
