MANGALURU: S Angara, Minister for Fisheries and Ports and six-time MLA from Sullia reserved constituency in Dakshina Kannada, on Wednesday, announced his decision to quit politics. Angara, the BJP’s Dalit face in coastal Karnataka, is the only minister in the government who was denied a ticket.
The soft-spoken Angara hit out at the party leadership for the way he was treated. “It was all pre-planned and some leaders are behind it. More than me not getting the party ticket, the way they treated me has hurt me,” he told reporters, who met him at his house in Sullia. The party’s decision to drop him came as a rude shock to Angara as he was not kept in the loop about it.
The saffron party has given the ticket to Bhagirathi Murulya for Sullia seat. The 58-year-old leader said that he never lobbied for ticket in his political career spanning over three decades and has honestly worked for the welfare of the people.
“They should clarify where I have gone wrong,” he added. Angara said he will not campaign for the party in the May 10 elections. He will also not take part in any political activities henceforth. “If they don’t have faith in me, then what’s the use? All these years, I toiled for the party and people of my constituency. I was not kept in the loop about the decision of changing the candidate and that has hurt me a lot,” said an emotional Angara.
To a query, Angara said he had asked state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel to allow him to contest for one last time and the latter had agreed to it. “It seems there is no recognition for my 30 years of honest service to the party and people. If I had lobbied, I would have got the ticket. But I stuck to honesty and that cost me dearly. I never went behind money and power. To build a house in Sullia, I had to sell my site in Bengaluru,” he said.