Congress workers wanted me to contest, not Shetty ; claims Harikrishna Bantwal

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Dec 19, 2015: Harikrishna Bantwal, independent candidate   contesting the MLC polls  who has been expelled from the Congress on the charges of rebellion, has claimed that party workers of the district as well as the interim president of DK Congress had recommended his name for MLC polls contrary to the claims of  senior leaders Oscar Fernandes and Vinay Kumar Sorake that they have consulted party men before choosing Pratapchandra Shetty as the official candidate.

Speaking to reporters here, Harikrishna Bantwal also said   both Oscar and Sorake would be blamed if at all the Congress lost the MLC elections as well as the upcoming Panchayat elections.

He was also highly critical of Congress official candidate Pratapchandra Shetty and  challenged that he would reward Rs one lakh to anyone who proves with photograph that  Shetty had attended at least  any one government meeting during the past five years.

He also alleged that the Congress gave no opportunity to freshers. If elected, he said he would seek a grant of Rs 50 lakh for each Gram Panchayat and also demand hike in  honorarium to panchayat members.