‘Sidelined’ Congress leader P H Neeralkeri calls partymen pimps

HUBBALLI: “Pimps and chelas are getting prominence in the party while dedicated party workers are being sidelined. Is this the way to strengthen the party,” asked angry Congress leader from Hubballi P H Neeralkeri.

Neeralkeri got angry when the security staff did not allow him to meet Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who made a brief stopover in Hubballi airport on his way to Shivamogga on Tuesday. It is said that Neeralkeri went inside the airport, but he and another senior Congress leader and former minister K N Gaddi were not allowed to meet the Gandhi scion, despite they giving their visiting cards to the Special Protection Group (SPG).

Neeralkeri told The New Indian Express: “During the visit of the party’s national president, it is the responsibility of the district presidents concerned to prepare a proper list of senior leaders for meeting/greeting the visiting leader. But today, the senior leaders were not allowed to meet Rahul Gandhi. The sad part is that former minister Gaddi was also not allowed and that made me very angry.”

Neeralkeri admitted that he uttered the words while returning to his car from the airport. “I was so angry and had not spoken such words before. I feel sorry for those words and those words were not against anyone,” he clarified. He said he just expressed the present situation of political parties with those words. “The honest workers should get recognition in the party. But unfortunately, it is not happening in any party,” said Neeralagi.The lawyer also clarified that he is not contesting the election from any constituency and he was in the airport to greet Rahul Gandhi.