Congress candidate Madhu Made Gowda’s triumph in the elections to the Legislative Council from the South Graduates constituency was termed by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Working President R. Dhruvanarayan as a “gift” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru on Thursday, he referred to Mr. Modi’s reported suggestion that unemployed youth should sell “pakodas” for a living and said the result of the elections was a ‘gift’ to the Prime Minister, who is incidentally scheduled to visit Mysuru for the International Day of Yoga on June 21.
During the run-up to the elections in the constituency, which is spread across Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan and Chamarajanagar, BJP leaders were optimistic that their candidate M.V. Ravishankar will win the seat.
Referring to the reported differences among BJP leaders of Mysuru over sharing of the dais with the Prime Minister during his visit to the city, Mr. Dhruvanarayan said the local MP will normally be given a seat on the dais. But, the BJP leaders appear to be at loggerheads with each other to claim credit for the groundwork ahead of the visit.
He said Mysuru was a destination for yoga enthusiasts from all over the world and had not become a centre for yoga overnight. A large number of foreigners for several years now are seen at Gokulam in Mysuru, which houses a number of yoga institutes. Even during the Congress regime in the State, about 50,000 people had gathered for the International Day of Yoga, he claimed.
Mr. Dhruvanarayan, who is also a former MP representing Chamarajanagar, said Mysuru MP Pratap Simha has no moral right to speak against former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, whose contributions to the State have been immense. “His utterances display a lack of political maturity.”
Mr. Dhruvanarayan sought to ridicule Health Minister K. Sudhakar’s reported statement that the protests organised by the Congress against the questioning of their party leader Rahul Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in different parts of the State will lead to a spike in COVID-19.
“By that yardstick, there should be a spurt in COVID-19 cases when an estimated 15,000 people will gather at Mysuru palace for the International Day of Yoga scheduled for June 21”, he said.
