I was offered Chief Minister post thrice' - Poojary drops a bombshell

[email protected] (CD Network)
July 20, 2012

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Bangalore, July 20: In a sensational revelation former Union Minister and senior Congress leader B. Janardhan Poojary has said that he was offered the post of Chief Minister of Karnataka by the party highcommand three times in the past.


“I was offered the post twice when Congress was the ruling party in the State. But I declined to take it up,” Mr. Poojary, who is known for his no-holds-barred comments told reporters here.


Taking a dig at the present party leadership in the State, Mr. Poojary suggested Congress legislators should have started an intense agitation over the failure of the government to appoint a Lokayukta,which has been lying vacant for almost a year now.


Mr. Poojary, as KPCC president during S.M. Krishna's tenure as Chief Minister during the first half of 2000s, had maintained a strict regimen in the party office during his tenure as the president by making even ministers visit it and hear grievances of party workers.


Mr. Poojary, has held several prominent positions in the party apart from being a junior minister in the ministry of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. He was appointed the All India General Secretary of the Congress party by Rajiv Gandhi in 1990 and subsequently made the KPCC president.


He rose to prominence again despite losing election to the Loksabha in Mangalore when he was appointed the AICC general secretary by P.V. Narasimha Rao during 1991-96. He was one of the confidantes of the late prime minister.


Interestingly, Mr. Poojary, who also hails from the Western Ghats area, supported Legislative Assembly Speaker K.G. Bopaiah for his statement that the UNESCO heritage tag to the 10 forest areas in Kodagu district was not good for its people.


But he demanded Mr. Bopaiah's resignation from the Speaker's post for saying that the people of Kodagu would be forced to demand Statehood if their rights over the forests were infringed upon in any way. Already Karnataka was plagued by the Belgaum issue and no one should meddle with the integrity of the State, he warned.


He said that Speaker Bopaiah should have resigned after being indicted by the Supreme Court in the case of disqualification of MLAs.


Mr. Poojary said that he will meet the party president Sonia Gandhi and request her to write to the Union Environment Ministry to ensure that UNESCO heritage tag to the Western Ghats is withdrawn.


On the resignation of Kundapur MLA Haladi Srinivasa Shetty from the Assembly, he alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh were driving a wedge between the Bunts and the Billavas. While Mr. Shetty is a Bunt, Mr. Kota Srinivas Poojary is a Billava.

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News Network
September 19,2024

Muniratna.jpg

Ramanagara, Sep 19: A case of rape, sexual harassment and criminal intimidation has been registered against BJP MLA Munirathna and six others, police said on Thursday.

It was registered following the complaint of a 40-year-old woman who alleged that the incident took place at a private resort within the Kaggalipura police station’s jurisdiction.

“We received a complaint on Wednesday night and based on it, we have registered case against seven people, including the BJP MLA under various sections for rape by public servant, sexual harassment, criminal intimidation, criminal conspiracy, voyeurism, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, Information Technology Act, and others,” a senior police officer said.

The matter is being investigated, he said.

The fresh FIR against the BJP MLA, also a former Minister, comes days after he was arrested by the Bengaluru Police in connection with the two cases filed against him for alleged harassment, threats and casteist abuse, police said.

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September 17,2024

Kalaburagi: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said that alleged role of "outsiders" belonging to the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in the violence at Nagamangala will be examined and action taken based on the probe report.

Clashes broke out between two groups during a Ganesh idol procession in the town in Mandya district following which mobs went on a rampage targeting several shops and vehicles leading to tension on September 11 night.

"Everything will be examined, investigation will be done, on getting the report we will decide. We will not protect anyone, and unnecessarily no one will be punished. We will look into the facts based on the inquiry report and take action accordingly," Parameshwara told reporters here.

He noted that two officials -- Deputy Superintendent of Police and Inspector -- have already been suspended, and added that further action will be taken based on the report.

The Minister said the government has taken the Nagamangala violence seriously and there is no question of taking such incidents lightly. "BJP makes such allegations, but we too have responsibility, we don't take anything lightly."

On allegations that "outsiders" were involved in the violence, Parameshwara said if inquiry reveals complicity of such elements, it would be examined and action taken accordingly.

Regarding claims that those belonging to the banned PFI were involved, he said: "It will be known from the probe."

On demand for a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into Nagamangala violence by BJP which alleged "failure" of state's home department, Parameshwara said: "they keep saying such things, we will not listen to all that."

According to police, an argument had broken out between two groups, when the procession by devotees from Badri Koppalu village reached a place of worship on September 11, and some miscreants hurled stones, which escalated the situation.

Following the clashes between the two groups, a few shops were vandalised and goods torched and vehicles set on fire, they added.

To allegations from some BJP leaders that the party MLA Munirathna was arrested "hurriedly", Parameshwara said, police acted after the complaint was given, "what's wrong in that?"

Munirathna, who represents Rajarajeshwari Nagar Assembly segment here, was picked up from Nangli village in Kolar’s Mulbagal on Saturday evening on charges of harassing a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) contractor for bribe, casteist slurs on a former corporator, and also cheating, criminal intimidation and insulting a woman’s modesty.

Asked about "illegal items" seized from the prison here recently by officials, he said an investigation has begun on this.

When a photo of actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, who was lodged in Parappana Agrahara Prison here, hanging out with other inmates surfaced recently, action was taken based on the probe report and eleven officials were suspended.

"I will look into recent seizures made too and action will be taken; also probe is on at other prisons in the state and action will follow if anything wrong is found," the Minister added.

Police raided the high-security wing of Parappana Agrahara Central Prison here on Saturday and seized smartphones and other illegal goods.

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