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Thursday, March 28 2024
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Mangaluru

Man who arranged Pak flight ticket for UR Ananthmurthy to contest for BJP

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Mangaluru: Vedavyas Kamath, BJP’s face for the upcoming assembly polls from Mangalore South constituency, who also happens to be a co-founder of the Namo brigade, the group that had arranged a flight ticket for late Kannada writer and Jnanpith awardee UR Ananthamurthy to Pakistan post PM Modi’s landslide victory in 2014 Lok Sabha elections is all set to contest against the upcoming assembly polls against incumbent Congress MLA and former KAS officer J R Lobo.

The 35-year-old businessman in cashew section, was appointed as the President of Mangaluru South Assembly Constituency of BJP.

In 2013, Kamath along with his long time friend Naresh Shenoy and another Venugopal Shenoy also set-up ‘Namo Brigade’ – the sole aim of the group was to propel the election prospectus of then BJP PM-candidate Narendra Modi. “This group has a definite goal of making Sri Narendra Modi as the next Prime Minister of India,” a statement on its website read. The group claimed that it had 45 branches in the state; “The NaMo brigade will promote ‘missed call’ membership drive, sell online merchandise for pro-Modi awareness programmes,” Vedavyas then said.

At the prized Mangalore South constituency – that is district headquarter of Dakshina Kannada and houses most of the administrative officers, Vedavyas was among the strong-aspirant of the BJP ticket along with educationist S Ganesh Rao, VHP leader MB Puranik and BJP’s District General Secretary – Capt Brijesh Chowta. However it is learnt that Vedavyas’s candidacy was strongly backed by local MP Nalin Kumar Kateel – that gave his case a major boost. Besides, hailing from a Gaud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) community, the caste factor will aide Kamath’s political ambition.

During a run-up to the General Assembly polls in 2014, late Kannada writer and Jnanpith awardee UR Ananthamurthy had said that he would leave the country if Narendra Modi becomes the Prime Minister. Subsequently, on May 17 – a day after the announcement of election results, NaMo brigade said that it had procured a flight ticket to UR Ananthamurthy, from Bangalore via Colombo to Karachi. In response, Ananthamurthy said that his pre-poll statement was ’emotionally driven’ and he would not pursuit his statement.

In connection with the 2016 murder of RTI activist Vinayak Baliga, the Mangalore city police conducted a raid at Vedavyas’s home, whereas his friend Naresh Shenoy who was arrested in the case, is currently out on bail.

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Harsha Raj Gatty

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