The Hindu

Mangalore / Bangalore, oct 14: Firing the first salvo after the Chikmagalur district administration banned the Datta Mala Abhiyan, the BJP on Thursday made it clear that it would come out of the coalition Government, if its partner the Janata Dal (S) continued to impede BJP's programmes in the State.

Speaking to presspersons, State BJP president and MP for Mangalore D.V. Sadananda Gowda said, "the BJP is not interested in sticking to power in the State by compromising on its ideology, policies and principles." Mr. Gowda who was arrested for defying prohibitory orders in Chikmagalur on October 10 while taking part in the "Sankeertana Yatra" as part of the Datta Mala Abhiyan, organised by the Sangh Parivar, claimed that over 25,000 devotees visited the shrine at Bababudangiri. Mr. Gowda said that the devotees had darshan at the Datta Peetha as per the directions of the police and had not created any problem for the district administration.

Reiterating the BJP's stand of organising the "Shoba Yatra," which its coalition partner had been opposing, Mr. Gowda said even before the BJP came to power it had been raising the issue.

Reacting to the former Chief Minister M. Veerappa Moily's statement holding the BJP responsible for the riots in Mangalore, Mr. Gowda said that Mr. Moily had not done anything for Dakshina Kannada district, as he had always been in Bangalore and New Delhi.