Boda..Boda..ರೂಪಾಯಿ 2 Savirag Poyye Boda? BJP Clarifies on Rs 2K Sand Offer from MP Kateel

Boda..Boda..ರೂಪಾಯಿ 2 Savirag Poyye Boda? BJP Clarifies on Rs 2K Sand Offer from MP Kateel

• Boda..Boda..ರೂಪಾಯಿ 2 Savirag Poyye Boda? ( Do you want…do you want…Sand for Rs 2000?) BJP Clarifies on Rs 2000 Sand Offer made by MP Nalin Kumar Kateel a few days ago while speaking during a programme had said that he will make sure that sand could be bought for Rs 2000. In reality, what he meant was Rs 2000 per unit, and not (truck) load, as Congress netas made mockery at Kateel

Mangaluru: During a meeting held at DK Congress Office on Saturday, 19 September chaired by former minister Ramanath Rai; Harish Kumar, Congress District President; Sudhir Kumar Shetty, Bantwal Block Congress president; Mithun Rai, Youth Congress District President, among other Congress leaders Harish Kumar had said, “MP Nalin Kumar Kateel who is saying that he will make sand available for Rs 2,000, how can that be, which is nothing but a joke. It should be noted that the tax of one truckload of sand itself is Rs 3,000, and added to that, transportation and labour charges will incur a total cost of around Rs seven to eight thousand”.

Kumar had further said “Then, how is it possible to offer sand at Rs 2,000 per truckload? Which doesn’t make any sense, nor the MP has any common sense. Looks like MP’s statement is laughable. On second thought, If BJP gives us the sand at such a reasonable rate, we will welcome the same. Illegal sand mining and such trade is going on in the taluks of Moodbidri, Mangaluru and Beltangady. That is done unscientifically through dredging. MP Nalin has to clarify as to who is involved in this illegal work. He should not put the blame on the Congress party. The license should be given as soon as possible for sand mining in CRZ area also,”

Also during that meeting lashing at BJP, responding to the accusation of MP Nalin Kumar Kateel that a series of murders and assaults have taken place during the Congress regime, former state minister Ramanath Rai had said, “I want to make it clear to the BJP leaders, including MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, that there is no involvement of Congress party activists in the murders committed by religious outfits in the district of Dakshina Kannada. MP Nalin Kumar Kateel has to clarify as to which party the accused who are arrested in these murders belong to. Youths should not join a party that commits murders. Congress has never involved itself in any religiously-motivated murder. Not a single charge sheet is filed against any Congress worker. Activists of the ruling BJP are more in the list of accused. These accused hold office-bearer positions in religious organizations. Activists of both Hindu and Muslim religious organizations are involved in these murders.”

Now BJP has made light of a tirade by Congress leaders to a reported statement by state BJP chief Nalin Kumar Kateel that sand will be available for Rs 2,000 per load. Senior Congress leaders B Ramanath Rai, Harish Kumar and U T Khader who on Saturday sarcastically welcomed Nalin’s statement made at a party function and hoped that the Dakshina Kannada Member of Parliament will make available sand at the above rate soon. To clarify on this issue, Radhakrishna, District BJP spokesperson speaking to the media said that the Congress leaders had resorted to cheap political gimmicks with their utterances. “What the MP meant was sand will be available for Rs 2000 per unit (100 cubic feet). A lorry load generally consists of three units of sand,” he said adding the BJP government is committed to providing sand at Rs 6000 per load. Steps have been taken to address the various policy impediments preventing this, he said.

With Nalin Kumar still feeling the after-effects of his recent brush with coronavirus, the MP has stayed away from all public functions. He attended a blood donation camp that BJP Yuva morcha organised as part of the Seva Saptah programme at the party office on Thursday. Nalin reportedly said at this function that BJP is committed to making sand available for Rs 2000. Radhakrishna said the MP has set the record straight through him. The aftermath of the press meet by Congress leaders saw a flurry of memes do rounds on social media. One such meme showed MP Nalin wearing the uniform of a lorry driver with the caption reading ‘Sand load for Rs 2000!”. Congress leaders had made it a point that the MP was not aware of the ground reality pertaining to sand trade. Radhakrishna said the personal attack on the MP was a sign of desperation by the Congress leaders.