Mangalore, Mar 3: Following the self-declared bandh observed by the district on Monday in retaliation against the Nethravati diversion project, Harsha Moily, who was an aspirant for an MP ticket from Dakshina Kannada constituency before his nomination was rejected, said on Tuesday that a lot of people in the state stood to gain from the project and the opposition to the same shown by the people of Dakshina Kannada had a political angle ' to it.
Addressing mediapersons at a press conference here on Tuesday, he said that the Nethravati diversion issue was being blown out of proportion after he had made a decision to enter the political fray in the district. “There 's clearly a political angle to the entire issue. People of Dakshina Kannada have reacted emotionally since they believe that the water from the river will be taken away from them,” he said.
He further said, “The chief minister and Mr Veerappa Moily have made it clear that this is a drinking water project that will benefit a lot of people. There is no issue that the people of Dakshina Kannada will be negatively affected by the project. I have gone through the detailed project report (DPR) thoroughly and it is obviously clear that the people of Dakshina Kannada will not face any shortage of water,” he said.
However, he pointed out that he was not a technical expert on the project and was speaking on the basis of the information known to him.
He said there was a lot of ambiguity regarding the entire project, and the best thing to do next was to have a panel discussion of environmental experts, technical engineers and people from different backgrounds.
He also said that an environment impact assessment (EIA) would be required to take the project forward.
No complaints on non-acceptance of nomination '
Close to the heels of rejection of Harsha Moily 's nomination for Congress primary for Dakshina Kannada constituency, the aspirant said that he was a loyal party worker and accepted the decision of the AICC selection committee in the interest of the party.
Wishing to clear few misconceptions over the rejection of his nomination by the AICC selection committee, he said that he had merely sought clarification from the committee and had not appealed for reconsideration.
“It is a misconception that I have appealed to the AICC to reconsider my nomination. I believe that the decision to accept or reject the nomination was left to the selection committee on the basis of meeting certain eligibility criteria,” he said, adding that he was awaiting the reasoning behind the rejection of his nomination.
He said that he had been involved in public service through his role as a trustee of Kisan Sabha Trust since 2001 and managing director/CEO of a private enterprise which helped in empowerment of dairy farmers in the state.
“These roles clearly made me an eligible candidate for the Primaries for DK Lok Sabha constituency under the criteria of a person of standing in public service or social cause. However, with the non-acceptance of my nomination under this criteria, while I do not agree with the stance of the AICC general secretary in charge of the primaries, I have come to accept it in the interests of the party,” he said.
“It was not the best start to a career in electoral politics, but I have no complaints. The non-acceptance of my nomination is not the end of my political journey but has inspired me to work harder for the party and the constituency,” he said.
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