Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (DV)

Mangaluru, Sep 16: The war of words between two senior Congress leaders, Dr M Veerappa Moily and Janardhan Poojary, both former central ministers, went one step further on Wednesday September 16 with the latter taking strong exception to Moily's statement that he was responsible for providing MP ticket to Poojary.

Moily had on Tuesday September 15 given a statement to some of the media that 'some people who had grown in politics because of me are now against me on Yettinahole project'. Moily also said that he had been instrumental in bringing Poojary into politics and making him MP.

Slamming Moily for making such a statement, Poojary on Wednesday called a press meet at the district Congress office here and said, "The statement by Veerappa Moily is as if he has cursed me. I am senior to Moily by age as well as in the profession of law. When I was practicing law, Moily had joined, he later he was practicing in Karkala only while I took up cases all over Dakshina Kannada and some in Karkala. When I could not take up any case in Karkala, I would pass it on to Moily, and this way our friendship developed.

"What power did you (Moily) have to provide me MP ticket? Ticket for election is issued by the central election committee of the party, and in those days, it was headed by Indira Gandhi. As per the media and sources, it was Indira Gandhi who gave me the ticket - it was her decision and you should be aware of this," he said.

Claiming that Moily had asked him for favours during the tenure of Indira Gandhi, Poojary said, "Later you (Moily) became MP and Congress leader, and also minister for small scale industries. When Gundu Rao was the chief minister, you came to me and asked me to make you the finance minister. Even the late Bangarappa asked me for revenue and agriculture portfolios. After discussing with Indira Gandhi, she made you the ministers. You came to me because I was close to her and you had confidence that it would be done.

"You (Moily and Bangarappa) were made to stand outside while Indira Gandhi was discussing the portfolios with me. But can I say I made you the minister? No. Later you even asked me to make you the opposition party leader, and after a meeting of 45 minutes, you were made the opposition leader. Did I ever say I made you the opposition leader?" he questioned.

"If you make me open my mouth again, I will reveal everything," he warned Moily.

He further added, "I just gave you (Moily) some advise on Yettinahole project for the welfare of the people of coastal area. I have never lied. In fact, telling the truth has made me half dead."

Addressing himself to Moily and former CM D V Sadananda Gowda, Poojary said, "Do you want to make coastal region barren? Do you think Netravati river is huge like the Ganga or the Brahmaputra? Do you have any common sense. Life in the entire coastal region will be affected by Yettinahole project."

"Paramashivaiah on whose report this project is based is not 'brahma jnani' and the report he has prepared is not a holy scripture. He is from Tumakuru. Rs 13,000 crore to be used on the project is the money of the people. You should be ashamed of this project," he further told DVS and Moily.

"No one in the district is against giving water to anyone. But it can be given from Cauvery or Haveri. Also, the government should implement the Mekedatu project," he added.

"Moily and DVS along with their families ran away from the district for the purpose of votes, and they are safe now. We are concerned about humanity. People have awakened now. Irrespective of political parties all should support this cause. If they do not, then people will send them home in the next elections," he said.

He also said that it was former PM A B Vajpayee and not Congress president Sonia Gandhi who was against the Mekedatu project. "CM Siddaramaiah shoud implement the Mekedatu project without the permission of Jayalalithaa," he said.

"Let this protest against Yettinahole project be a warning bell. The CM should take this seriously or it would lead to an agitation demanding separate state for Tulunadu," Poojary warned.