Shetty behind Malli’s appointment to INTUC

By CT reporter
MANGALORE : The appointment of notorious rowdy and a former student union leader Rakesh Malli, as the district vice president of the INTUC, has revealed an interesting piece of news that it was district minister B Nagaraj Shetty who was behind Malli’s appointment.
In the meantime, it remains no secret that both Malli and Shetty have proximity while Malli and the former minister Ramanatha Rai are not in good terms.
Malli despite being in the Congress had worked against Rai during the last elections in Bantwal and had thus indirectly assisted in Shetty’s victory.
Shetty who has been in search of an able candidate since long to fight Rai within the Congress, found the right man in Rakesh Malli and if sources are to be believed, it was Shetty who secured the district vice presidentship of INTUC to Malli through the state INTUC chief NM Adyantaya.
Now, it seems, the stage is set for Malli to fight Rai within the party rather than being outside it. One part of the anti-Rai strategy was for Malli to strive towards strengthening the party thus creating embarrassing moments for Rai.
In fact Malli had received much exposure through media ads no sooner he was appointed to INTUC. Now, he is slowly moving towards the direction of shedding his rowdy image with due patronage of Nagaraj Shetty.
Rakesh Malli, a former student union leader, was labelled a rowdy after his underworld links were exposed. Though he now wants to be identified as a businessman, it is difficult for people to forget his past.