Believe It or Not? DK Voted for Modi, and NOT for Kateel, say Voters!

Dakshina Kannada Voted for Narendra Modi, and NOT for Nalin Kumar Kateel, say Voters?

Mangaluru : Modi…Modi…Modi….? If you look at the headlines in today’s ( 24 May) various newspapers/other publications, “India Says Phir Rk Baar Chowkidar”; “Tripleton”; Modi Returns With Record Mandate”; Namo Nava Bharatha”; “Namo Ale 15 Dakale”; Chowkidar Sher Hai”; Namo Bharatha Kesari”; Mathe Modi Beerugali”, and many more–it clearly showed that the entire India had faith in Narendra Modi, for all his achievements and courage that he had shown during his five year tenure as Prime Minister and anticipated the same from Him in the next five years, after Modi assumes yet another PM term soon. In a speech after his party’s emphatic victory, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that “the 2019 poll verdict is for new India”.

He said the huge number of seats that the BJP won was itself a “unique phenomenon” in the history of democracy.”Since the country got Independence, so many elections took place, but the maximum voting took place in this election, and that too in 40-42 degree temperature,” he added. He said the people of the country had answered (by casting votes for the BJP) like Lord Krishna, who during the Mahabharata, had said that he was on no one’s side. Well said by Modi, and he is totally right, because the people of India have given a strong mandate to Him to lead the country for the next five years- and the BJP seems set to form the government at the Centre once again. And among the many world leaders, who congratulated Modi on his magnanimous win, US President Donald Trump was one among them who tweeted -“Congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP party on their BIG election victory! Great things are in store for the US-India partnership with the return of PM Modi at the helm.”. Wow-sounds great!

People in Dakshina Kannada Actually Voted for Narendra Modi….

And now coming to the big win of DK candidate of BJP Nalin Kumar Kateel, it is not that the voters in Dakshina Kannada REALLY voted for him, but they REALLY voted for Modi and his BJP party. After his win addressing the media outside the counting centre at NITK- Surathkal, Kateel said, “Modi wave of 2014 Lok Sabha election had become a ‘Modi Tsunami’once again in 2019 LS election. Voters have in this election supported the five years development works initiated by NDA under the able leadership of PM Modi. They have proved that for the security of the country, development works, and for the good administration, agovernment led by Narendra Modi are need for the country”. That’s exactly TRUE what Kateel said.

He further went on to say, “I was comfortable during this election when compared to the previous one. All the criticism by opponents against me especially with regard to the incomplete works on National Highway 66 and failure to complete the Kankanady Pumpwell and Thokkuttu flyovers did not have any impact on the poll results. Voters have trusted me and my developmental works during my tenure as MP, and the victory margin was beyond my expectations”. Well said by Kateel, but it is not 100% TRUE? What answer is he giving for the Pumpwell flyover which is supposed to be open by this month end (31 May) , as promised by Kateel and Union Minister Gadkari)? It is not even 99% done, and no activities could be seen at the Pumpwell flyover site despite the warning from Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s during his visit to the City recently. Thokkuttu flyover which was suppose to open on 31 March 2019, is still not completed. There are few other developmental works not completed under Kateel’s tenure.

…………….And Really Not for Nalin Kumar Kateel?

Yes, Nalin Kumar Kateel is a second-time Lok Sabha MP who represented Dakshina Kannada parliamentary constituency, and he contested again from the constituency on a BJP ticket this time. He was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 2009, upon defeating Congress representative Janardhan Poojary by 40,420 votes. Prior to this, he was the District General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Kateel again contested in the general election in 2014, and was re-elected by a margin of 1,43,709 votes. As per pending criminal cases against Kateel, in 2019, he had four cases registered and charges framed. The cases were filed as per IPC Section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty), IPC 141/143/145/149 (related to unlawful assembly), IPC 147 (punishment for rioting), IPC 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), IPC 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), IPC 506 (criminal intimidation), IPC 268 (public nuisance).

Locally, media reports have repeatedly highlighted the resentment of BJP cadres and senior local leaders towards N K Kateel for under performing in his tenure. Many were also opposed to BJP announcing Kateel as its candidate again this election. The MP has also been noted for not doing enough for the seven fishermen from his constituency who went missing in the seas last December. He has also attracted local outrage for not being able to convince the central government against the merger of the locally-grown Vijaya bank with the Bank of Baroda.

Abuse of Modi’s Swachh Bharath Abhiyan by his supporters during celebration near BJP Election Office, near Bunts Hostel

As per the MPLADS website of the Ministry of Statistics, works worth Rs 18.9 Crore had been sanctioned out of Kateel’s overall MPLADS fund of Rs 25 cr. Of Rs 18.9 cr sanctioned, Rs 17.3 cr has been spent in the last five years. Kateel has claimed that he has used much of his MPLADS funds for development of railways, roads and bridges. True or false, God only knows. It is also learnt that many local BJP party leaders and workers are not in full support towards him. So, when that’s the case, can anyone imagine casting vote in favor of Kateel as their favorite BJP candidate. Absolutely NOT! It was Modi’s popularity and Modi wave that majority of DK voters had cast their vote for BJP, and NOT for their local BJP candidate. And Team Mangalorean interacted with few BJP supporters, and this is what they had to say:

At the “Amchegele” Taj Mahal restaurant near Navabharath/PVS circle, which seems like a just another “BJP Headquarters”, where a large majority of Amchegele hardcore BJP fans hang around for their breakfast, lunch or dinner time, and this morning it was all about Modi that echoed the inside of the restaurant- and if someone even bothered to utter even a few words of Congress, they would have been mugged or attacked? This morning having my favorite Idli Thove & Biscuit Rotti at this Taj Mahal restaurant, interacting with two diners on the BJP win in DK, one Naresh Nayak said, “BJP win in DK is not because of the local candidate, it was purely of Modi’s wave and his popularity. Why would anyone vote for a candidate who has failed in his duties, other than cutting ribbons at inaugural functions, and delivering unwanted speeches. With no other option to vote for N K Kateel, but my vote was actually for Narendra Modi, in my heart”.

The BJP Campaign Van parked in the BJP Office Compound & Messages on it has proved it RIGHT!

S M Kudva, yet another regular customer at this restaurant sipping on his hot coffee said, “With no other option, I voted for Kateel, but actually my vote was for Modi and his BJP party. I have been a loyal BJP supporter for years, and I couldn’t switch my vote to a different party because I didn’t like the BJP candidate in this LS election. My party and Narendra Modi was more important to me, than this year’s local BJP candidate”. And while stepping out of the restaurant, my old pal from Mangalore Jaycees, knowing that I am a Catholic Porbu, on a lighter side of vein said, ” Hey Alfie, your party didn’t win (giving me a hint, that all Porbus are Congress fans) and your vote was useless”.

Quickly giving him back a tough reply, I said, “How do you know that my party didn’t win, without knowing which party that I voted, just because I am a Catholic. And you are wrong on both of your guesses, because I didn’t even vote, since I don’t have voting rights here being a US citizen- so please don’t make unnecessary remarks without knowing the facts, buddy. And to tell you frankly, if I had a chance to vote, my vote would have been for Modi, even though our family has been loyal Congress fans for decades”. He accepted his fault, we shook hands and both departed.

Now I also met a few Catholics, who for the FIRST time had voted for BJP, just because of PM Modi’s governance. Shirley Pinto ( name change) said, “For decades right from my ancestors, I had been a true Congress supporter, having voted for Blasius D’souza, and Janardhan Poojary, when PM Indira Gandhi and Morarji Desai were PM’s. For a few reasons of infighting in Congress and too much talk by Rahul Gandhi and other local congress men here, I decided to vote for BJP ( not because of the local candidate) but because of Modi. He has been a powerful PM, and I only hope that he does not get into pro-Hindutva, Pro RSS and other issues that would hurt the sentiments of other communities”. There were other two Christians, who also for the FIRST time had voted for BJP, actually for Modi because of his new policies and strategies. Now it’s clear, that even a bunch of Porbus had supported Modi in this Lok Sabha elections.

The Deserted District Congress Office near Mallikatte on 23 May 2019?

Yes, PM Modi has over-promised, shown us too many big dreams and may not be able to achieve all the targets he had set for the present Government when he came to power. But, what he has achieved, apart from a few setbacks, is something many believe is unprecedented. I am a fairly educated young person with a good understanding of economics and politics. I study both subjects in great detail. So, just as many people say that they don’t see anything positive happening, I think I am equipped enough to have a judgment and assessment of my own. And, in my judgement, this current government has done a fairly good job that is akin to laying a fertile land where a bumper harvest can be produced for several years to come in succession. And that is no mean achievement for a government in just one term. Especially in a convoluted economic setup that PM Modi and his team had inherited from his predecessors. Without more talk, let’s dive into the details.

Demonetization was the great thing Modi did, to wipe out unaccounted money stacked by rich people. Another big achievement with respect to the economy and finance sector, in my belief, is the way the government has acted on unearthing the heaps of NPAs and bad loans that were awarded by the public sector banks. When we talk of infrastructure, I believe the current establishment has, in every metric, fared better than almost every other previous administration. Be it roads or ports, rivers or railways, aviation or even power, those are all sectors where I see a big change. When it comes to the railways, when was the last time you heard that the railways have increased its CapEx by three times in three freaking years! We were running on a 100-year-old signalling system and no one gave a damn. Today, six out of seven are connected to the national broad-gauge grid with Agartala and many others shaving direct trains to Delhi and other major cities like Bengaluru and Mumbai.

The TWO BIG WINNERS IN THE LS ELECTIONS 2019!
Now talking about foreign policy, I would say that my judgement is not that polite anymore. As far as the faltering relationships with the United States of America are concerned, well, which major country has a flourishing relationship with them anyway since Donald Trump came to power? That said, I believe that India, under the leadership of PM Modi, has been a ‘ROCK STAR’ on the global landscape! Be it reaching out to the Indian diaspora scattered across the globe, creating a great image for brand India, or giving a thaw to the bilateral relationships with countries across the globe, India under present administration has been on a roll. And, that truly deserves accolades.

When we talk about defence, we have both internal security and overall strength and the well-being of the armed forces to discuss. As far as internal security is concerned, I believe that we have witnessed immense success in containing Naxalism, stopping its spread and also bringing down separatist and insurgency movements in the northeastern states. That’s the reason why AFSPA has been revoked or scaled down in some states and territories of North East India. Yes, J&K has been a boiler no doubt. But I think, unless section 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution are abrogated, no significant and lasting good can be achieved there. So the hard line approach seems to be only viable option to deal with extremists and terrorists. On that front, I guess I am not that happy about the track of present Modi Government. I want more to be done by the Government in how they deal with terrorists.

Now let’s talk a little about betterment of women. Under the Ujjwala Yojana, the government has already distributed 4.65 crore free LPG cylinders to poor families who had been using coal and wood which left them gasping for breath, ridding many from possible lung infections, attenuated eye-sight and even cancer. And, who is the greatest beneficiary of this movement? The women. Same is true about the toilet movement. The Government claims that it has constructed well over 7.7 million new household toilets. And, I don’t believe that. But, if that is what they claim, at least half of that number should be true. And, yet again it’s the women who are going to benefit out of those toilets the most.

Apart from Demonetization, Modi’s projects/initiatives like the “Digital India”; “Health Card scheme”; “Implement of GST:; “Mudra Scheme”; “Make In India Project”; “Ujwala Scheme”; “Swachh Bharath Abhiyan”; “Foreign Policy”, among others have citizens of India very much attracted to him, and his policies. Keeping all this mind, before casting their votes, people thought to themselves-“If Not Modi For PM In 2019, Then Who? In the meantime, each of the opposition parties have just one agenda, to attack Modi and his failures. And for me, those failures are so few that you can count them on your fingers. It’s always demonetization, multiple GST rates, rising petroleum prices or the lynchings. That is it.

Every speech, every public appearance, every single time they get in front of a camera or type something out on Twitter, it all turns out to be one of those four subjects. That is how dumbfounded the opposition was, and people got fed up with their blah..blah..blah talks. And for that matter, how many press meets and protests we had in Mangaluru by the opposition against Modi backed BJP- but seemed like nothing worked out, when the results were out yesterday. The talk and criticisms by the opposition should have been kept to a limit- and this had a backlash on the Congress, not just mine opinion, but also of many others whom I discussed with.

So, while concluding this report, all I can say is that the voters had one choice-“Who Am I Supposed To Vote For? To be true, PM Modi hasn’t done that bad either. Especially when you juxtapose him against all of his predecessors, I would say that he has done a better job than most of them. Hence, PM Modi is the man many Indians wished to see Him leading India ONE MORE TIME AS PM. And, that’s the reason many voted for his party, in His name. Firstly, because many believed that he has done a fairly good job. Secondly, because they didn’t see a better option.

And finally ending my report on a lighter side of vein- As far as I remember during a press meet Senior Congress leader Janardhan Poojary had said that he will never enter Kudroli Shree Gokaranatheshwara Temple if Congress candidate Mithun Rai loses- but I will keep my fingers crossed, just to see a press meet called by Poojary in the nearest future- May be or may not? And also hard to believe that ONLY one seat was gained by Congress and ONE Seat by JD (S) in Karnataka, and recalling the statement made by CM Kumaraswamy, I end this column with a funny Youtube link sent to me on Whatsapp :