Satyajit Surathkal, Billava community leader, speaking at a press conference at Press Club, in Mangaluru on Monday.
| Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH
Sri Narayana Guru Vichara Vedike has decided to back candidates belonging to Billava community in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi-Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga constituencies irrespective of the political parties they belong to, said Vedike State president and former functionary of the BJP Satyajit Surathkal on Monday.
Speaking to reporters here, Mr. Surathkal said the vedike would support R. Padmaraj of the Congress in Dakshina Kannada, Kota Srinivas Poojary of the BJP in Udupi-Chikkamagaluru and Geetha Shivarajkumar of the Congress in Shivamogga. The Narayana Guru Samaja, comprising Billava, Ediga, Namadhari and such other sub-sects has over 12 lakh members in the three Lok Sabha constituencies, he said.
The victory of the three Billava candidates would strengthen the Narayana Guru Samaja to help community members excel in all fields. Mr. Surathkal said he would be involved in the campaigning for the three candidates. He said the BJP did not consider his selfless service for the cause of Hindutva for the last 37 years. Even after declaring Brijesh Chowta as its official candidate for Dakshina Kannada, he was told to wait for some time as the party would give him a suitable position. Since there was no further move from the party, he has decided to act on his own, Mr. Surathkal said.
Though the vedike would support Mr. Poojary in Udupi-Chikkamagaluru, fielding him was a loss to the community, because he already holds the position of the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council. If he gets elected to the Lok Sabha, the Billava community would lose one MLC-cum-Leader of the Opposition. If the BJP was serious in giving representation to the Billava community, it should have fielded some other prominent Billava leader in Udupi-Chikkamagaluru, he said.