The Hindu : Groupism won't be tolerated: Poojary

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 16, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

Groupism won't be tolerated: Poojary

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore Feb. 15. The new President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), B. Janardhana Poojary, today declared that the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, was his leader and that of the people of the State, indicating that he was for harmonious relations between the Government and the party machinery.

Speaking after taking over as President at a well-attended function here, Mr. Poojary also left no one in doubt that his aim was to ensure that the Congress was returned to power in the State next year. He told the rank and file that the party was already in a battlefield and he was not a leader to allow it the luxury of sleep. He also made it clear that he would not tolerate groupism and mutual recrimination in the party. Every Congressman should think of himself as a member of a family whose leader was the Chief Minister. As far as he was concerned, he bore no ill will towards anyone and wanted to take everyone along with him.

Mr. Poojary also wanted the Chief Minister to present a farmer-friendly Budget. He blamed the Centre's import and export policies for the problems of agriculturists and industrialists.

Earlier, the Chief Minister had said that the Government was a subsidiary of the party organisation. The AICC President, Sonia Gandhi, had chosen Mr. Poojary to head the KPCC as she had complete confidence in his abilities. In his first tenure as President, Mr. Poojary had strengthened the Congress in the State. He was committed to the ideology of helping the poor and was, in fact, being called "Loan Mela Poojary". He was foremost in implementing the programmes of Indira Gandhi.

In his speech, Mr. Poojary defended the Government's handling of the Cauvery and the Nagappa abduction and death crises. The agitation by the farmers over the release of Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu had helped in making the Supreme Court understand the problems of the farmers. The Chief Minister had been ready to go to jail for contempt of the court. But, being a leader of the people, he did not go to that extreme. It was unfortunate that the former minister, H. Nagappa, died even as the Government was making all-out efforts to secure his safe release.

Mr. Poojary lashed out at the VHP and the other Sangh Parivar organisations, especially the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi. The BJP was threatening to come to power in Karnataka and other States by raising the emotive issue of Hindutva. But it should remember that they (Congressmen) too were proud of being Hindus.

He criticised the VHP for raising slogans against the member of the Congress Working Committee and Minister for Women and Child Welfare, Motamma, at the Hindu Samajotsava held in Mangalore on Thursday. It was unfortunate that the VHP had attacked a Scheduled Caste woman (Ms. Motamma).

Turning to women, Mr. Poojary claimed that the VHP was antediluvian and was defending the practice of Sati. Its leaders had said that the life of a cow was more precious than that of a dalit.

He criticised the Centre for failing to take action against the Gujarat Chief Minister although he had admitted to being guilty of murder.

The Congress should thwart the attempts of Pakistan and the Sangh Parivar to divide the nation.

Mr. Poojary praised his predecessor, Allum Veerabhadrappa, and said he had sacrificed the presidentship.

In turn, Mr. Veerabhadrappa said he was happy he was handing over the responsibility of leading the Congress to a senior and better leader than he. Though he could not strengthen the party, he had not weakened it.

He was leaving with the satisfaction of maintaining unity in the organisation. He had no regrets over giving up the presidentship.

Earlier, Ms. Motamma did not hide her unhappiness that no Congress leader came to her support when she took on the VHP leader, Pravin Togadia. She was also sorry that there was none in the party so far to counter Mr. Togadia.

Mr. Poojary would be like a schoolmaster and he would discipline the organisation, she said.

Welcoming the gathering, the KPCC General Secretary, Prakash Rathod said though there was a delay in the appointment of the new PCC President, it had now been forgotten as Mr. Poojary was chosen. Mr. Veerabhadrappa was leaving the party a united one, he added.

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Groupism won't be tolerated: Poojary