Davanagere, April 6 Union Minister for Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi said that family politics has become dominant in the Davanagere South constituency and warned that it could destroy democracy.
He expressed confidence that voters, who are now questioning why a single family should be given preference, will vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in this election.
Speaking at a press conference here on Monday, he said that when the grandfather (Congress leader late Shamanur Shivashankarappa) was alive, he served as an MLA and minister, and now his son (S.S. Mallikarjun) is an MLA and minister, while his wife is a Member of Parliament.
“In addition, a ticket has now been given to their son (Samarth Mallikarjun) to become an MLA. They are attempting to capture Davanagere by distributing tickets within families. If the Congress wins again this time, I warn that no one else will get a ticket for the next 40 years,” he said.
He alleged that in Bagalkot, the Congress is using the AHINDA formula, while in Davanagere, it is promoting “Govinda politics,” implying that no one else is capable and that tickets are given within the same family.
“Like the Sonia Gandhi family, the Shamanur family also wants all its members to be in power. Voters will teach them a lesson this time,” he said.
Joshi further alleged that the family possesses wealth, including money accumulated through corruption, and is trying to undermine democracy through financial power.
“People will not tolerate this. They must take this seriously,” he urged.
He claimed that corruption and misgovernance have become routine in the Congress, and that family politics and appeasement politics have reached their peak.
“There has been no development in Davanagere. The Smart City project was implemented during G.M. Siddeshwar's tenure as MP. Apart from that, nothing has been done. Members of a single family are trying to expand their influence and centralise power. This is dangerous for democracy,” he said.
He added that the Congress is in a weakened state across the country and claimed that India will soon become “Congress-free.”
Accusing the Chief Minister of misleading people over constituency division, he said: “He is talking in terms of South and North. Those who once ruled the country are now trying to divide it. People should be influenced through policies and development, not by dividing the country.”
Joshi said the Congress was given an opportunity in Karnataka but failed to deliver.
“Even the guarantees have not been properly implemented. Not even a single grain of rice was provided under the Anna Bhagya scheme; the rice was supplied by the Centre,” he alleged.
Regarding the cooking gas supply issue, he said the problem arose due to the war, but the central government has handled the situation effectively.
“There has been no problem with domestic LPG supply. Rahul Gandhi had said petrol would not be available within two days, but there is no shortage anywhere even now. We have sufficient stock because we planned in advance. However, there is some shortage of LPG, and a solution will be found,” he added.
--IANS
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