Mangaluru: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has issued an order to sack Puttur block president Hemanth Shetty. Besides, the notification also states the appointment of Fazal Raheem as the new president.
It’s learnt that Mr. Shetty will however, continue to be a congress party worker.
Hemanth Shetty, who was holding the post of president for over eight years in Puttur had recently floated a pro-Hindu organization named, ‘Bharatiya Hindu Parishad’ (BHP) to counter BJP’s Hindutva agenda and to retain Hindu party workers of Congress.
Earlier, the formation of new organization drew severe criticism from a section of Congress leader including former Union Minister B. Janardhana Poojary and district in-charge minister B. Ramanath Rai. The congress leaders reiterated that the party is secular and condemned any such organization in the congress.
However, Mr. Shetty had claimed that he formed the organization in his personal capacity and has nothing to do with the congress party.
On Saturday, the KPCC ordered to sack Hemanth Shetty and appoint Mr. Raheem, whose name (Raheem) was making rounds for the post even before Mr. Shetty had floated a pro-Hindu organization.
According to the reports, KPCC came to the conclusion, after holding a series of meeting with senior congress leaders including Digvijay Singh, who is a general secretary of AICC.
Reacting to the KPCC’s order, Mr. Shetty told newskarnataka.com that he has committed no wrong. Floating a religious organization is not necessarily for communal purposes. I am a secular person, he said.
Mr. Shetty also said that he would rather give more time to the organization and push it to the state level. “I have received a lot of support from the congress leaders. I will work to strengthen the organization”, he added.
