DE LIMITATION, A CURSE TO KODAGU

Madikeri February 21, 2008

Kodagu which had enjoyed the status of C State once is now reduced to the level of a village with only two assembly constituencies. People of Kodagu are desperate and state that the center could have considered retaining the seats considering the contribution of the district in the fields of defense and sports.

While the population in parts of India is reaching a fearsome high, as a contrary, population in Kodagu has come down. The delimitation committee has considered the census of 2001 and the district had just 5, 48,561 population. Virajpet taluk had 200628, Madikeri 1, 42, 012 and Somwarpet has 2, 05,921 population. The committee has taken average population of a taluk and it requires 2, 74,281. But the average population of the taluk here is 1, 82, 853.

This has led to abolish Somwarpet constituency. People have to be satisfied now only with Madikeri and Virajpet constituencies. Candidates contesting from Madikeri taluk will have a tough time as major portion of Somwarpet constituency is included into it.

Last minute effort, after ignoring the fact for a long time by the local politicians to retain the seat went futile and the president has signed the de limitation of constituency.

WHAT DO THE LEADERS SAY?

This correspondent spoke to leaders for their comments about the de limitation and their preparedness to face elections;

Member of the Parliament and BJP state president Sadananda Gowda said that changing of parliament constituency from Mangalore Madikeri to Mysore – Madikeri as unfortunate. He said that he is willing to contest from Madikeri – Mysore constituency, if the people so wish. The Kodagu Mangalore culture used to blend well and he is pained by the change, he said.

District BJP President Sunil Subramani stated that it is of no use to comment about the decided issue of de limitation. He opined that BJP has all the hopes of winning both the constituencies. Candidates will be chosen by the party and the workers will respect the decision of the party, he said.

District congress president Veena Achaiah said that the party should carefully select the candidates who really have concern about the district. She hoped that the congress high command will select proper candidates.

Meanwhile she ridiculed M.C.nanaiah who had stated that he used to hate congress from his college days and said that Nanaiah showed no courtecy to state that he had become an MLA once by contesting as a congress candidate.

District president of JDs, V.P.Aiyappa said that his party is prepared to face election. Party is strengthened by the entry of former minister M.C.Nanaiah and it has the support of MLC Arun Machaiah also, he said.

Former MLA Basavaraju, who had won from Virajpet reserve constituency, stated that local persons should contest the election. Though he himself had hailed from Bangalore, basavaraju told the people not to entertain outsiders as candidates.

Former MLA K.G.Bopaiah disclosed that he will approach Supreme Court to question the de limitation. He said that he would be meeting senior advocates in Bangalore to discuss the matter. I am also in touch with one Jitendra Gowda, who has filed a case in Supreme Court, he said.

Former minister B.A.Jivijaya said that he is willing to contest from Madikeri constituency, if the high command wishes so. Jivijaya was an MLA from Somwarpet constituency.

KFD BOMBARDS BJP,

A day after state BJP chief Sadananda Gowda stated that KFD should be banned; the office bearers called a press conference and stated that Sadananda Gowda should be subjected narco analysis test as he speaks a lot about terrorism. Only a person involved in it will be able to speak so, they commented.

Denying that they have no link to SIMI or so as was projected by Gowda in the press conference; they questioned who released terrorists at Kandahar during plain hijack? It was BJP minister Jaswanth Sing, they pointed out. L.K.Advani went to Pakistan to build friendship with an enemy country and eased the entry of terrorists they accused.

BJP is trying to project untruth as truth, they said and cautioned that they will not tolerate dividing the society in the name of caste.