Even opponents praise Ananth Kumar
Bangalore, 16th April 2009: Rarely you find a political candidate showering praise on his opponent in a public forum. That unusual incident happened during ‘Neta Connect’, an election candidate interaction program organised by the Electronic City Industries Association where the leading candidates of Bangalore South constituency participated. Hosted by Infosys Technologies, leading candidates such as Shri Ananth Kumar, senior BJP leader, Krishna Byre Gowda, Youth Congress leader, Prof K E Radhakrishna, eminent educationist and JD-S candidate, Captain Gopinath, eminent industrialist and independent candidate, participated in the interaction.
Each candidate was asked to speak briefly about their promises, agenda for Bangalore and the country, policy for development, their achievements and a passing comment on other candidates. Since among the four candidates, Shri Ananth Kumar was the only one to have implemented various projects, it was obvious that he stole the show with his achievements.
Right from implementing Bangalore Metro to clearing the path for Bangalore International Airport and his involvement in ABIDE initiative, his accomplishments impressed the audience. His personal achievements as a social activist who has implemented mid-day meal for poor school children and health insurance also drew applause from the audience.
Talking about his promises for Bangalore, he spoke about pushing through numerous infrastructure projects which are lying dormant at present. He was eager to revive the HAL Airport as a maintenance hub as well as domestic airport, since it has the full fledged infrastructure which is lying waste right now. Infrastructure development is the only way to revive the stagnant Indian economy, he opined. In the UPA government, much was expected from a stalwart finance minister such as P Chidambaram, but he only ensured that the country today stands as a Digambaram, he said.
A passing comment by Captain Gopinath was the high point of the event. Gopinath said, “When I was about to start my airline, I had to struggle for three years to get the license cleared from the Civil Aviation Ministry. However, within a few days of Ananth Kumar taking charge, he cleared the file instantaneously and I could start my airline business.” This statement touched the hearts of the audience and there was a standing ovation.
