Cong leaders rally behind Krishne Byre Gowda

BTM MLA and senior Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy organized a party workers meet in his constituency on April 2, at Jayama Ramaiah Reddy Choultry to felicitate Sri Krishna Byre Gowda, the Bangalore south candidate. Senior leaders present included Shantharam Naik, AICC National Secretary, former MLA Kupendra Reddy, Ex-Mayor and MLA Chandrashekar, Kencha Gowda and all the morchas and mandal leaders. 
Addressing the public Shantharam Naik said that in 2008 the inflation was 12% and within a span of one year, the UPA government brought it down to just 1%. When NDA was in power the growth rate was just 5.5% and under UPA it was 8.%. It was also the first to introduce the Right to Information act. He also ridiculed the BJP and its CM BS Yeddyurappa for defending the moral policing committed by it. If the CM was so concerned about women's dress code, he should become a tailor, and not a politician, he said.
Senior leader Ramalinga Reddy recalled that when SM Krishna was the CM, lot of works were taken up with Rs 200 crore released for park development, many abandoned lakes and parks were beautified , flyovers constructed, Swachcha Bangalore conceived, the Bangalore Metro Rail sanctioned under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, and international airport work taken up. As civil aviation minister, Ananth Kumar had done nothing for the State, he pointed out. He also took upon the JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy for taking credit for all the projects initiated by the Congress, and said the people should not get fooled by such antics. 
Charging Ananth Kumar of being an absentee MP, Ramalinga Reddy said he was known to be a non-resident and visited his constituency once in five years to seek votes. Do we need such people as MPs, he asked, and said his record was an open book for the people to see. He had delivered on all his promises to the people and was always accessible to the people. 
Addressing the party leaders and workers, Sri Krishna Byre Gowda said he did not believe in promising heaven to the people, and said he would only promise good quality works and special attention to the youngsters. He said the wide experience of leaders like Ramalinga Reddy would be an invaluable asset in his campaign.

Agreeing that his opponent, Ananth Kumar was never in his constituency, he recalled that during the opening of the KR Puram Hanging Bridge, the then PM Atal Behari Vajpayee who inaugurated, had remarked that foreigners coming to India would henceforth not just visit the Red Fort, Delhi but also Bangalore to see the hanging bridge. This was a brainchild of his party, and said it was inaugurated when SM Krishna was CM. In a stinging indictment of the BJP, he said today, "Karnataka has become Bihar, while Bihar has become Karnataka" under the Yeddyurappa regime.

Together We Wan : N.  Nagaraju
Former Corporator N. Nagaraju who had done a good job as Corporator, stated that he along with the other leaders and workers would go all out to ensure the success of Krishna Byre Gowda. "He is young, dynamic, accessible, educated, progressive, non-corrupt, and has a vision for developing Bangalore south. We need more of such candidates like him," he said.
Nagaraju also pointed out that the fact that he was a direct choice of youth icon Rahul Gandhi would enthuse the party cadre to ensure his win. He, along with Suresh, the Jayanagar MLA candidate who lost in the previous elections to BN Vijaykumar, would work under the guidance of Ramalinga Reddy and expose the wrong doing of Ananth Kumar, while stressing on the plus points of their party's candidate, he said.