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What are the plans of Lobo, Kamath, Prabhu for Mangaluru South? Read before you vote!

Harsha Raj Gatty | coastaldigest.com
May 4, 2018

At the heart of the District Headquarter of Dakshina Kannada, the election fever heats-up as Congress’ leader and first time MLA J R Lobo will test his mettle from Mangaluru City-South Assembly constituency in the May 12 Karnataka polls. The former Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) officer, who on his debut in 2013 sent back-packing then four-times MLA of the constituency N Yogish Bhat, will now try to stand tall against the BJP candidate.

Meanwhile, the BJP in the region has turned into a divided home - while on one side the party has officially set up Vedavyas Kamath, the party President of Mangaluru City-South, on the other hand Srikar Prabhu, the former state executive member of the BJP, who is still not sure why he was thrown out of the saffron party, has announced his own candidacy as an independent.

Lodging a victory at the Mangaluru City-South becomes a matter of prestige for these candidates, as they house maximum number of key government, private offices, educational, IT, religious institution, trade, commerce and brings a sense of city life into the district, acting as an eye-candy for both tourist and investors.

In the midst of their busy campaign, the candidates make time to speak to coastaldigest.com for an interview. The excerpts below:

CD: Do you think the battle in Mangaluru City-South is only between BJP and Congress or do other parties or independent contenders stand a chance?

Lobo: The fight is only between the BJP and the Congress. CPI(M) is insignificant. I am confident that I will get re-elected again.

Kamath: It will be a dual fight between BJP and Congress. BJP is sure to win.

Prabhu: The poll battle in the constituency has started off as a triangular with Congress, BJP and me in the main front. But very soon, it will be just be between Congress and me and there is no doubt that I will emerge as No. 1.

CD: Are there any unsolved issues in the constituency? How would you address the same?

Lobo: Unemployment is the biggest issue in the constituency. To find jobs, the youth migrate from the city. Now, Mangaluru has become more of a pensioners city and many parents want to have their children near them. It’s a socio-economical issue, the best way to deal with this is create job opportunities, which will retain the youth power in the city. There is a lot of potential in tourism and industrial sector, which can be tapped.

My main agenda will be to focus on investment flow in the city and create employment opportunities. Law and order maintenance is a must and I am happy in my last tenure no such untoward incident took place. I shall push for the same in the future too.

Kamath: The city faces acute shortage of water especially in summers. Traffic is a mess and parking has become a major woe. Interference of the state government in law and order is another issue we see. If I get elected, will try to solve each of the city’s issues in a systematic approach.

Prabhu: The incumbent Congress MLA had promised to improve the condition of Mangaluru’s Central market. Has he succeeded? The market is in a pathetic condition. Also, Mangalureans suffer due to water shortage in summer. Traffic has become a nuisance. If elected as MLA, I will solve these issues.

CD: Is there any dissidence in your party? Do you think it will benefit/hamper your poll prospectus?

Lobo: There is no dissidence within the Congress.

Kamath: BJP is a disciplined party and will always support the party and its candidate. People want to support the party and do not want to waste it, voting for the negative side. 

If you think Srikar Prabhu contesting elections will affect my prospectus, you can wait and watch.

Prabhu: Whoever says that I am contesting elections to divide BJP votes is far from truth. A person becomes a rebel when he leaves the party when he does not get ticket for election and joins another party or fights on his own. However, I was suspended from the BJP in 2014 without any reason or explanation. I have been out from the party for almost four years. How can I be called a rebel? I am fighting as an individual, a constitutional right every Indian citizen has. BJP has pitched in a candidate who is mired in controversy and has been accused of having a criminal background.

I have BJP workers sympathy, as they know I was suspended without even a show-cause notice and without a reason. I have been active in social service. If voters in the constituency vote for me recognizing my service or if BJP workers elect me as I have a clean background, you cannot say I am dividing votes. Anyone is free to contest and a voter is free to choose.

CD: Do you think there is Modi wave in the constituency? Will it benefit/hamper your prospectus?

Lobo: No. People in this constituency are educated and know what is happening. They do not form opinions suddenly but over a period of time. People have suffered during demonetization. Though the intention to eradicate black money was good, the way demonetization was announced and executed was very poor.

Kamath: While we are campaigning, we have realised that people are impressed with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and are complaining about Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led State government and municipal administration. So hundred percent BJP will win.

Prabhu: Modi wave may be there to some extent. It is an example that people vote for image of the person. Similarly, in Mangaluru people who know me will vote for my image.

5) What are your plans to transform Mangaluru City South?

Lobo: Providing 24X7 drinking water supply under ADB Phase II, improvement of underground drainage, construction of modern markets, ultra-modern bus stand near State Bank, modern bus stand in Pumpwell, development of tourism, improving fisheries and Old Port, promotion of sports and youth welfare, setting up a government engineering college and medical college and evening engineering college are some of main works among many we are intending to take up

Kamath: We shall looking into solving the water issue that affects Mangaluru, bring down crime rate, solve parking issue, complete the Ambedkar Bhavan work, bring in more job opportunities and also highlight the achievements of Kudmul Ranga Rao.

Prabhu: Name the Bavutagudda Road as Mulki Sunder Ram Shetty Road on top priority. Provide drinking water for Mangaluru, construction of full-fledged underground drainage system, improve traffic system, improve central market and the fish market, systematic solid waste management, construction of new bus stand in the city are some of the many work I intend to take up.

Specific Questions

CD to Srikar Prabhu:

There are rumours that you contested the election as an independent to blackmail BJP to take you back to the party?

Prabhu: Why would I do that? I was banned for BJP for six years and four have been completed. If I wanted to go back to the party, I would have waited for the ban to get over. I announced my decision to fight as an independent much before Congress and BJP announced their candidates.

My main intention is to serve the people. Also, I was asked to leave the BJP party without any reason. I have worked for the party for over two decades and many were sad that I was removed. Hence, people asked me fight as an independent, so that I have an opportunity to solve their problems.

If you win as an independent are there chances that you may merge with the BJP?

Prabhu: I have worked for BJP for many years and just because I am not in the party, cannot wipe out my ideologies. I openly say that I am still inclined to BJP ideologies. I still support Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also have pledged to support him in the MP election.

However, as I am contesting as an independent, people are my high command and I will need to consult with the people before taking decisions.

CD to J R Lobo:

In the recent days, your name has been dragged in the KUDCEMP and AMRUT scheme misappropriations. Do you think this will affect your poll prospectus?

Lobo: All the allegations are baseless and far from truth. I have already clarified my stand in front of the media and will stand by it. The opposition is famous for propagating false news and expert in telling lies. I have already filed a complaint. I have obtained injunction order against those people from the court and I am also initiating criminal action against those people.

CD to Vedavyas Kamath:

Do you think, your name being associate in the Vinayak Baliga murder case may affect your poll prospectus?

Kamath: I will call you back in five minutes. (We are still eagerly waiting for Kamath’s call)

Also Read: Mangaluru North: 7 common questions - different answers from Bava, Shetty, Muneer

Comments

First-time Voter
 - 
Saturday, 12 May 2018

A sitting MLA who has not done any prominent work during his tenure, a "pro-hindutva" party candidate accused of murder and an ex member of the same party who has miniscule stuff like changing names of roads in his agenda. NOTA.

Hisham
 - 
Saturday, 5 May 2018

mr prabhu answer itself tells that he is not even capable to stand for election and he is not focused on development,

check his one answer which he tell that he will rename a road . Whether u rename or keep the name same ,it wont effect the people of mangalore .

I request all mangaloreans to vote for development and who can keep peace and provide basic necessities to people of the city.

 

 

MR Bengaluru
 - 
Friday, 4 May 2018

This Vedavyasa Kamath is the same person who booked Pakistan flight ticket to internationally acclaimed Indian thinker Late Prof. U R Ananthmurthy. Hope the voters of Manglauru South will send Kamath to that country. 

Fuad 
 - 
Friday, 4 May 2018

BJP voters neither read any interviews, nor manifestos. There are 3 kinds of people among BJP voters:
1) Those who think only Hindus are good and others are bad, and that BJP is the only pro-Hindu party.
2) Those who blindly believe that BJP is non-corrupt and others are corrupt.
3) Those who think that BJP may be bad but others should not come to power.

Whistleblower
 - 
Friday, 4 May 2018

I have reliable information that one candidate of Mangalore South has paid Rs 1 crore to another candidate to defeat BJP candidate. (I am not revealing names of those two candidates to avoid legal problems. Hope readers will understand)

Peeku
 - 
Friday, 4 May 2018

Srikar Prabhu’s hair style is nice. But his answers are pathetic.

PK Kudla
 - 
Friday, 4 May 2018

Lobo has made so many promises. But after becoming MLA he will do only two things: 1) Concretize roads 2) dig them again. 

Helpless NRI
 - 
Friday, 4 May 2018

Dear Harish Raj Gatty/ coastaldigest.
Kamath may not call you back to answer your last question. But, Income Tax department officers may soon personally meet you. Think hundred times before posing controversial questions to BJP leaders. 

Pulimunchi
 - 
Friday, 4 May 2018

Dear Prabhu, now a days TOP priority means Tomato Onion Potato priority…so u need not to change the name of a road for these vegetables. 

Prathima Bhat
 - 
Friday, 4 May 2018

Looks like a paid news by Congress. Apparently tried to malign BJP candidate. Besides Srikar Prabhu was given prominence unnecessarily apparently to split Hindu votes. But don’t worry. No voter will consider this propagandist interview seriously. People have brains to think. Jai Sri Ram!  

Giridhar Kamath
 - 
Friday, 4 May 2018

Lobo’s plans are good. But the million dollar question is why didn’t he do all those things when he was MLA for five long years? Not to mention he had direct links with the-then Cong supremo Sonia Gandhi too thanks to his Catholic background. We must give an opportunity for young and energetic candidate Vedavas Kamath.

First time voter
 - 
Friday, 4 May 2018

Enchina maarree.. Road da pudar change malpere MLA avoda? Shocked to know Srikar Prabhu’s priority.

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Ram Puniyani
February 22,2020

This January 2020, it is thirty years since the Kashmiri Pundits’ exodus from the Kashmir valley took place. They had suffered grave injustices, violence and humiliation prior to the migration away from the place of their social and cultural roots in Kashmir Valley. The phenomenon of this exodus had been due to the communalization of militancy in Kashmir in the decade of 1980s. While no ruling Government has applied itself enough to ‘solve’ this uprooting of pundits from their roots, there are communal elements who have been aggressively using ‘what about Kashmiri Pundits?’, every time liberal, human rights defenders talk about the plight of Muslim minority in India. This minority is now facing an overall erosion of their citizenship rights.

Time and over again in the aftermath of communal violence in particular, the human rights groups have been trying to put forward the demands for justice and rehabilitation of the victim minority. Instead of being listened to those particularly from Hindu nationalist combine, as a matter of routine shout back, where were you when Kashmiri Pundits were driven away from the Valley? In a way the tragedy being heaped on one minority is being justified in the name of suffering of Pundits and in the process violence is being normalized. This sounds as if two wrongs make a right, as if the suffering Muslim minority or those who are trying to talk in defense of minority rights have been responsible for the pain of Kashmiri Pundits.

During these three, many political formations have come to power, including BJP, Congress, third front and what have you. To begin with when the exodus took place Kashmir was under President’s rule and V. P. Singh Government was in power at the center. This Government had the external support of BJP at that time. Later BJP led NDA came to power for close to six years from 1998, under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Then from 2014 it is BJP, with Narerda Modi as PM, with BJP brute majority is in power. Other components of NDA are there to enjoy some spoils of power without any say in the policies being pursued by the Government. Modi is having absolute power with Amit Shah occasionally presenting Modi’s viewpoints.

Those blurting, ‘what about Kashmiri Pundits?’ are using it as a mere rhetoric to hide their communal color. The matters of Kashmir are very disturbing and cannot be attributed to be the making of Indian Muslims as it is being projected in an overt and subtle manner. Today, of course the steps taken by the Modi Government, that of abrogation of Article 370, abolition of clause 35 A, downgrading the status of Kashmir from a state to union territory have created a situation where the return of Kashmiri Pundits may have become more difficult, as the local atmosphere is more stifling and the leaders with democratic potential have been slapped with Public Safety Act, where they can be interned for long time without any answerability to the Courts. The internet had been suspended, communication being stifled in an atmosphere where democratic freedoms are curtailed which makes solution of any problem more difficult.

Kashmir has been a vexed issue where the suppression of the clause of autonomy, leading to alienation led to rise of militancy. This was duly supported by Pakistan. The entry of Al Qaeda elements, who having played their role against Russian army in 1980s entered into Kashmir and communalized the situation in Kashmir. The initial Kashmir militancy was on the grounds of Kashmiriyat. Kashmiriyat is not Islam, it is synthesis of teachings of Buddha, values of Vedant and preaching’s of Sufi Islam. The tormenting of Kashmiri Pundits begins with these elements entering Kashmir.

Also the pundits, who have been the integral part of Kashmir Valley, were urged upon by Goodwill mission to stay on, with local Muslims promising to counter the anti Pundit atmosphere. Jagmohan, the Governor, who later became a minister in NDA Government, instead of providing security to the Pundits thought, is fit to provide facilities for their mass migration. He could have intensified counter militancy and protected the vulnerable Pundit community. Why this was not done?

Today, ‘What about Kashmiri Pundits?’ needs to be given a serious thought away from the blame game or using it as a hammer to beat the ‘Muslims of India’ or human rights defenders? The previous NDA regime (2014) had thought of setting up enclosures of Pundits in the Valley. Is that a solution? Solution lies in giving justice to them. There is a need for judicial commission to identify the culprits and legal measures to reassure the Pundit community. Will they like to return if the high handed stifling atmosphere, with large number of military being present in the area? The cultural and religious spaces of Pundits need to be revived and Kashmiryat has to be made the base of any reconciliation process.

Surely, the Al Qaeda type elements do not represent the alienation of local Kashmiris, who need to be drawn into the process of dialogue for a peaceful Kashmir, which is the best guarantee for progress in this ex-state, now a Union territory. Communal amity, the hallmark of Kashmir cannot be brought in by changing the demographic composition by settling outsiders in the Valley. A true introspection is needed for this troubled area. Democracy is the only path for solving the emigration of Pundits and also of large numbers of Muslims, who also had to leave the valley due to the intimidating militancy and presence of armed forces in large numbers. One recalls Times of India report of 5th February 1992 which states that militants killed 1585 people from January 1990 to October 1992 out of which 982 were Muslims and 218 Hindus.

We have been taking a path where democratic norms are being stifled, and the promises of autonomy which were part of treaty of accession being ignored. Can it solve the problem of Pundits?

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News Network
February 25,2020

Bengaluru, Feb 25: A smooth-talking ‘swamiji’ has come under police radar after a widow lodged a complaint stating he cheated her of over Rs 27 crore and three kgs of gold between 2016 and 2019.

The woman, Geetha of Ramamurthynagar, was staying with her three sons after her husband, a landlord, died in 2009. Her family owned several sites in Tavarekere and other parts of the city, apart from a farm near Bethamangala in Kolar district.

Geetha, who had got into property disputes with her relatives, said she was introduced to the accused, Nagaraj C of Bangarapet, who claimed to possess powers to ward off evil spirits, by one of her farm labourers. “I was assured that all my problems would be solved. He came to my house and claimed he had been sent by god and would find solutions to all my problems,” she stated.

Nagaraj allegedly pretended to be possessed by spirits and directed her to give him gold bars. Geetha ended up giving three kgs of gold in the process. Later, he began directing her to sell a few properties stating these were the root cause of her problems. “I sold many properties and pledged a few residential sites. He took Rs 22.5 crore that came from selling properties, apart from Rs 5 crore cash from my husband’s savings,” she stated.

She said Nagaraj took the money from her on the promise of buying alternative properties. “When I demanded he return all my money, he threatened to kill me and my kids using evil spirits,” she alleged.

Police have registered a case of cheating, criminal conspiracy, criminal intimidation under various IPC sections and Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Bill, 2017, against Nagaraj and others.

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News Network
July 28,2020

Hounde, Jul 28: Coronavirus and its restrictions are pushing already hungry communities over the edge, killing an estimated 10,000 more young children a month as meager farms are cut off from markets and villages are isolated from food and medical aid, the United Nations warned Monday.

In the call to action shared with The Associated Press ahead of publication, four UN agencies warned that growing malnutrition would have long-term consequences, transforming individual tragedies into a generational catastrophe.

Hunger is already stalking Haboue Solange Boue, an infant from Burkina Faso who lost half her former body weight of 5.5 pounds (2.5 kilograms) in just a month. Coronavirus restrictions closed the markets, and her family sold fewer vegetables. Her mother was too malnourished to nurse.

“My child,” Danssanin Lanizou whispered, choking back tears as she unwrapped a blanket to reveal her baby's protruding ribs.

More than 550,000 additional children each month are being struck by what is called wasting, according to the UN — malnutrition that manifests in spindly limbs and distended bellies. Over a year, that's up 6.7 million from last year's total of 47 million. Wasting and stunting can permanently damage children physically and mentally.

“The food security effects of the COVID crisis are going to reflect many years from now,” said Dr. Francesco Branca, the WHO head of nutrition. “There is going to be a societal effect.”

From Latin America to South Asia to sub-Saharan Africa, more poor families than ever are staring down a future without enough food.

In April, World Food Program head David Beasley warned that the coronavirus economy would cause global famines “of biblical proportions” this year. There are different stages of what is known as food insecurity; famine is officially declared when, along with other measures, 30% of the population suffers from wasting.

The World Food Program estimated in February that one Venezuelan in three was already going hungry, as inflation rendered salaries nearly worthless and forced millions to flee abroad. Then the virus arrived.

“Every day we receive a malnourished child,” said Dr. Francisco Nieto, who works in a hospital in the border state of Tachira.

In May, Nieto recalled, after two months of quarantine, 18-month-old twins arrived with bodies bloated from malnutrition. The children's mother was jobless and living with her own mother. She told the doctor she fed them only a simple drink made with boiled bananas.

“Not even a cracker? Some chicken?” he asked.

“Nothing,” the children's grandmother responded. By the time the doctor saw them, it was too late: One boy died eight days later.

The leaders of four international agencies — the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization — have called for at least dollar 2.4 billion immediately to address global hunger.

But even more than lack of money, restrictions on movement have prevented families from seeking treatment, said Victor Aguayo, the head of UNICEF's nutrition program.

“By having schools closed, by having primary health care services disrupted, by having nutritional programs dysfunctional, we are also creating harm,” Aguayo said. He cited as an example the near-global suspension of Vitamin A supplements, which are a crucial way to bolster developing immune systems.

In Afghanistan, movement restrictions prevent families from bringing their malnourished children to hospitals for food and aid just when they need it most. The Indira Gandhi hospital in the capital, Kabul, has seen only three or four malnourished children, said specialist Nematullah Amiri. Last year, there were 10 times as many.

Because the children don't come in, there's no way to know for certain the scale of the problem, but a recent study by Johns Hopkins University indicated an additional 13,000 Afghans younger than 5 could die.

Afghanistan is now in a red zone of hunger, with severe childhood malnutrition spiking from 690,000 in January to 780,000 — a 13% increase, according to UNICEF.

In Yemen, restrictions on movement have blocked aid distribution, along with the stalling of salaries and price hikes. The Arab world's poorest country is suffering further from a fall in remittances and a drop in funding from humanitarian agencies.

Yemen is now on the brink of famine, according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, which uses surveys, satellite data and weather mapping to pinpoint places most in need.

Some of the worst hunger still occurs in sub-Saharan Africa. In Sudan, 9.6 million people live from one meal to the next — a 65% increase from the same time last year.

Lockdowns across Sudanese provinces, as around the world, have dried up work and incomes for millions. With inflation hitting 136%, prices for basic goods have more than tripled.

“It has never been easy but now we are starving, eating grass, weeds, just plants from the earth,” said Ibrahim Youssef, director of the Kalma camp for internally displaced people in war-ravaged south Darfur.

Adam Haroun, an official in the Krinding camp in west Darfur, recorded nine deaths linked with malnutrition, otherwise a rare occurrence, over the past two months — five newborns and four older adults, he said.

Before the pandemic and lockdown, the Abdullah family ate three meals a day, sometimes with bread, or they'd add butter to porridge. Now they are down to just one meal of “millet porridge” — water mixed with grain. Zakaria Yehia Abdullah, a farmer now at Krinding, said the hunger is showing “in my children's faces.”

“I don't have the basics I need to survive,” said the 67-year-old, who who hasn't worked the fields since April. “That means the 10 people counting on me can't survive either.”

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