Yuva Brigade founder Chakravarti Sulibele has criticised central Minister Anantkumar Hegde by questioning the MP from Uttara Kannada as to why his constituency has not been developed in spite of Hegde getting elected from the region five times.
Pointing out that the region had scope for tourism, Sulibele in a scathing blog post said, “Speaking to the MLA-MP of Uttara Kannada, they say that the district’s proximity to the sea is a reason for its underdevelopment. Doesn’t Singapore have nothing but seas around it? Even Australia is surrounded by sea. Mumbai developed next to the Arabian Sea.”
“If they change their view, then we can see development. This should be taught to our leaders. Because of a movie on Yana, lakhs of people came to visit the place. Everyone talks about the damage to the environment and that is true, but this would not have been a problem if arrangements were made and maintained for tourists,” he added.
Even though the criticism was directed at both the MLA and MP from Uttara Kannada district, Sulibele specifically called out Hegde for not bringing in any development in spite of being elected five times from the region.
Elaborating on the possibilities of tourism in Uttara Kannada, Sulibele also added that there was a great idea to attract tourists along the coast from Karwar to Gokarna by opening hotels and open houses that sold locally made handicrafts along the way.
“To create jobs, you don’t have to destroy the environment but only learn to think a little more about people. It is okay to speak and win the first time but after being elected several times without development is not good from the point of democracy,” said Sulibele.
He urged the elected representatives to take advantage of the fact that 2017 was dedicated to Sustainable Tourism by the United Nations.
“In recent times, there is talk of eco-friendly tourism at the global level. United Nations declared 2017 as the year of Sustainable Tourism. Accordingly, local tourism should be interactive, respect the cultural heritage of the entire region and give the benefit of the tourism to local people,” Sulibele opined.
Hegde is a five-time BJP Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada in Karnataka.
Sulibele’s statements come at a time when Hegde is under pressure after his comments about changing the Constitution raised a storm in Parliament, eventually forcing the Minister of State for Skill and Youth Development to render an apology in the ongoing winter session.