Vijayapura: Putting an end to the speculations on whether the Muslim aspirant will get Congress ticket to contest from City in the coming Assembly polls, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Campaign Committee Chairman M. B. Patil has declared that not only he will ensure the Muslim candidate will get a ticket, but also he will take personal responsibility to ensure the victory of the candidate.
“Many people are making wild speculations on the ticket. Let me make it very clear here that we will get tickets for Muslim candidates from Vijayapura City. I will also take personal responsibility to make sure that the candidate wins,” he said at a press conference on Wednesday November 30.
On the question of who will get the ticket as over a dozen people have sought tickets from Vijayapura City, Patil said that choosing the candidate is left to the party High Command. “I am only making it clear that the Muslims who are sizable in number in Vijayapura City, will get a party ticket as they deserve political representation,” he said.
He also claimed that it was he and his late father, B. M. Patil who have been ensuring political representation to Muslims in the District since 1978.
“My father was the first to offer a ticket to Muslim candidates and ensure victory. Later, I continued this work and made every effort to get the ticket and political representation for Muslims in Vijayapura. But still, some people are making baseless allegations against me,” he said.
On the allegations that he and BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal are two faces of the same coin as they have internal understanding, Patil made it clear that he never shared or endorsed the political views of Yatnal. “When it comes to politics, I have been maintaining a clear distance from him. I never endorse his political views. When Yatnal had said that he does not want Muslims to come to him to seek help, I declared that if he does not want to help you, then I am ready to help the Muslims. I have strongly criticised such objectionable statements against the Muslim community,” Patil said.
