Congress’ first list of candidates: Party has been unjust to Billava applicants, says pontiff
Mangaluru: Pranavananda Swami, the pontiff of the Brahmashri Narayana Guru Shakti Peetha, has said that the Congress, which released its first list of candidates for the 2023 Assembly elections in the state, has been unjust towards Billavas.
Speaking to reporters at a private hotel in Mangaluru, the pontiff said, “We had asked the Congress, the BJP as well as the JD(S) to give tickets to 10 Billavas in the entire state, not only in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. Yet, the Congress, which released its first list, has fielded only six people from the community,” adding that the community hoped the names of the rest four will be added in the second list of the Congress.
“If the community is neglected, if our demands are not met with regard to the election tickets, we will be forced to fight back, regardless of the party,” he warned.
“We find no improvement in the Congress’ treatment of Billavas, as only one Billava candidate in Dakshina Kannada has been given ticket, just as before. We need elected representatives in at least two more constituencies. As many as 11 people of our community had applied for ticket, including a lady. While the lady has striven for the progress of the Billava community, we do not focus on a particular individual but stress that any strong contender from the community may be given ticket,” the pontiff clarified.
It is especially unjust of Congress party, which has been laying stress on social justice, to have sidelined the Billava community, said Pranavananda Swami, adding that ensuring the victory of a candidate is the responsibility of the community members.
The pontiff further warned that state government, led by the BJP, will face problems if it fails to take a firm decision in the next couple of days regarding the fulfillment of demands of Billavas, including funds for the Brahmashri Narayana Nigama.
He, however, refused to comment on whether the community would support a party that fielded the maximum number of Billava candidates. “Hopefuls who lost their money after applying for ticket are terribly disappointed. We will discuss such matters with them too, before taking a decision,” he added.
Billava leaders Jithendra Suvarna, Suresh Chandra Kotian and Lokanath Poojary were also present on the occasion.
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Sooryavanshi's century in vain as SRH beat RR by 5 wickets
Jaipur (PTI): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's century went in vain as Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Rajasthan Royals by five wickets in their IPL match here on Saturday.
Sooryavanshi hammered his second hundred in the IPL — a 37-ball 103 — as Rajasthan Royals put on board a strong 228 for six after they were put in to bat first.
Sooryavanshi got plenty of support from Dhruv Jurel, who made a 35-ball 51 and, helped the teenager milk 112 runs for the second wicket. In the death overs, Donovan Ferreira (33) played some big shots as RR went past the 200-run mark.
But, SRH chased down the target of 229 with nine balls to spare, with Ishan Kishan top-scoring with a 74 off 31 balls. Abhishek Sharma chipped in with 57 off 29 deliveries as SRH reached 229 for 5 in 18.3 overs.
Brief Scores:
Rajasthan Royals: 228/6 in 20 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 103, Dhruv Jurel 51; Pat Cummins 1/27, Eshan Malinga 2/38).
Sunrisers Hydearabad: 229 for 5 in 18.3 overs (Ishan Kishan 74, Abhishek Sharma 57; Jofra Archer 2/34, Brijesh Sharma 2/44).
