The Vijaya Bank Retired Officers’ Association on Tuesday said the bank seized to remain the bank of the coastal people when it was nationalised in 1980 and some are hyping its merger these days for political gains.
Speaking to reporters here, association convener Balappa Shetty said the merger process had started during the UPA government when Oscar Fernandes and M. Veerappa Moily, stalwarts from the coast, were Ministers. Had they wished, the two could have stopped the merger process but they did not, he said.
Vijaya Bank’s laurel and pride as the bank of coastal Karnataka no more remained after it was nationalised by the late Indira Gandhi. Those alleging that the merger has taken away the coastal pride are only doing it for political purposes, he said.
Mr. Shetty noted that the process of naming the Light House Hill Road after the late Mulki Sunder Ram Shetty, one of the bank’s chairpersons who strengthened it, was stalled by the then Congress MLA J.R. Lobo. Despite the government accepting Mangaluru City Corporation’s proposal to this effect, the then MLA had said the renaming would lead to violence. Mr. Shetty wondered what those Congress leaders who are now shedding crocodile tears on the merger were doing during the controversy.
The then district in-charge Minister B. Ramanath Rai, who constituted a fact finding committee to verify the claims on the name of Light House Hill Road, did not do anything further thereby deceiving people, Mr. Shetty alleged. He termed “funny” the claims of Congress candidate Mithun Rai’s reported statement that he would restore Vijaya Bank and said all these are being done for electoral gains.
Retired officers Somanath Shetty, Jayanth Shetty, Ramakrishna Shetty and Mohan Shetty were present.