42 JD(S) members join Congress in Mangaluru
Mangaluru: Upset over the BJP-JD(S) coalition, 42 JD(S) office bearers joined Congress at a programme in the DCC office here on Tuesday.
DCC president K Harish Kumar and KPCC campaign committee chairperson Vinay Kumar Sorake welcomed the JD(S) workers to the party. Sorake said the guarantee schemes of the Congress govt in Karnataka are expected to divert 10% to 15% of votes from BJP to Congress.
Sorake termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s offering of floral tribute and garlanding the statue of social reformer Brahmasri Narayana Guru before commencing the roadshow in Mangaluru as an election gimmick.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have shown his concern towards the Billava community in 2022 by allowing the tableau on the social reformer for the Republic Day. It would have been meaningful if the BJP govt at the Centre had followed the preaching of Sri Narayana Guru. Unfortunately, BJP had insulted Narayana Guru by rejecting the tableau and dropping lessons on the social reformer from the textbooks,” he said.
“The Congress will create awareness about the guarantees, including Rs 1 lakh per year for women, along with five guarantee schemes of the state govt. BJP’s Jal Jeevan Mission, which aimed at supplying tapped water to every household, is restricted to the laying of pipelines as they are yet to identify the source of water,” he said.
To a query on the INDIA alliance holding a convention separately in Mangaluru, Sorake said the Congress is working in coordination with INDIA partners. On SDPI not contesting the Lok Sabha election in Karnataka, Sorake said Congress has not held any discussion with SDPI at the state level. DCC president Harish Kumar said Modi’s roadshow and the garlanding of the statue of Sri Narayana Guru were part of an effort to divert people’s attention.