Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha Poll Direct Fight between Me and Shobha – Pramod Madhwaraj
Udupi: “This Lok Sabha election is not a fight between Narendra Modi and Pramod Madhwaraj. Narendra Modi is contesting from Varanasi Constituency. It’s purely a fight between Shobha Karandlaje and Pramod”, said Udupi–Chikksmagaluru Lok Sabha constituency Congress–JD(S) candidate Pramod Madhwaraj in a press meet held at the Press club here on March 24.
Addressing the mediapersons Pramod said, “In the last 5 years of tenure as MP, Shobha Karandlaje has totally neglected the constituency and has utterly failed to address the problems of the twin districts. Shobha treated her voters like orphans in the last 5 years. Leaders and workers of BJP started the “Go Back Shoba” campaign against her and now the voters of both the districts will definitely send her home”.
Pramod further said, “When Shobha was the MP, she failed to resolve the issue of Sand scarcity in the district. When I was the minister I had given 165 licenses for sand extraction in 28 blocks in the district. But this time licenses to extract sand were not issued and people faced severe problems across the district. Shobha Karandlaje failed to solve the CRZ issues at the national level. If I am elected as MP I will give first preference to resolve the CRZ issues. The JD(S) and Congress workers have decided to defeat the BJP in the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru constituency”, he said.
Pramod also said, “The defense minister Nirmala Seetharaman will accompany Shobha Karandlaje while filing the nomination papers. Three months ago seven fishermen had gone missing from Malpe. The Union government, including the Defense Minister and Shobha Karandlaje, failed to take necessary measures to trace the missing fishermen along with the fishing boat. As per the information a Navy Ship had hit the fishing boat but the Defense ministry is not ready to accept it. The Union Government and Shobha Karandlaje are playing with the lives of fishermen. As defense minister Nirmala Seetharaman should clarify the issue,” he demanded.
He said, “Indian Navy ship itself was involved in hit-and-run sort of case. The Navy carried out search operations only for the sake of it. It is more than 3 months since the fishermen have gone missing. The Central government, Defence Minister and MP have all failed to give justice to the families of missing fishermen. Nirmala Sitharaman should answer on the whereabouts of missing fishermen.”
He said it was a tragedy that the Navy could not differentiate between a sea bed and a sunken boat while carrying out search operation for the boat. The three Parliamentarians from the coastal areas have failed to tackle the problems of the fishermen.
On RTI activist T J Abraham’s allegations, Madhwaraj retorted that Abraham was a blackmailer.
“It is the BJP that is making use of him and he levels allegations against me only during election. All the allegations are false. No bank would take risk of lending loans without collateral security.”
Madhwaraj said that he would file a defamation case against Abraham in the future.
He said he is the candidate for the coalition government and there was no need for him to be identified as JD(S) member. The only reality is that he would be contesting under JD(S) symbol.
Udupi District Congress president Ashok Kumar Kodavoor, KPCC leaders M A Gafoor, G A Bava, District Congress vice president Prakyath Shetty, Youth Congress president Vishwas Ameen and others were present.