Karnataka - Madikeri   

‘Congress rebels have betrayed us’

Madikeri: The office-bearers of the Kodagu unit of the Karnataka Muslim Hitarakshana Samiti on Monday criticised the four Congress members who helped the BJP to gain power in the Kodagu Zilla Panchayat in the elections held here on Friday last.

The four Congress members, V.M. Vijaya, who was elected president, S.N. Raja Rao, who was the in-charge panchayat president, H.B. Jayamma and B.J. Sanjay, had supported the BJP to assume power.

Essaque Khan, president of the Kodagu unit of the samiti, told presspersons here that Muslims had backed the Congress in the previous elections. In most cases, it had resulted in the victory of the Congress candidates, he said.

However, the “defection” of the four panchayat members of the Congress did not only amount to betrayal of the community but had also deprived a Muslim from becoming the president of the panchayat this time, Mr. Khan said. Abdul Latif of the Congress was the official nominee for the post of the president in the elections for the panchayat body’s last term in office. Mr. Khan urged the Congress to work towards disqualifying the four members from the panchayat for the rest of the term.

The four members have been expelled from the Congress on the charge of anti-party activities.

The four Congress members had thrown all principles to the wind and supported a “communal and casteist” party for achieving selfish ends, Mr. Khan alleged.

It was detrimental to a democratic set-up. The four members had betrayed the voters who had elected them, Mr. Khan said. The disqualification of these members should serve as an example, he added.

In the first term (each term is of 20 months), H.S. Ashok, an Independent, had supported the BJP to come to power. The Congress held power in the second term, and after the end of the term, Mr. Raja Rao had joined hands with the BJP to become the in-charge panchayat president. Now, it was Mr. Vijaya’s turn to associate himself with the BJP, which was unfortunate, Mr. Khan said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

SAI South starts with a floursih
Parishat to document Kannada works and publish books
‘Congress rebels have betrayed us’
‘Implement laws on atrocities effectively’

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu