Pics: Spoorthi Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP/JD)

Mangaluru, May 29: Former union minister, Janardhana Poojary, has called upon Karnataka governor, Vajubhai Vala, not to give his concurrence for the appointment of Sham Bhat, current commissioner of Bengaluru Development Authority, as the new head of Karntaka Public Service Commission (KPSC) as recommended by the state government. Poojary pointed out that Bhat has been facing corruption charges.

Addressing a press conference in the city on Saturday May 28, Poojary said that several newspapers have been coming out with stories of allegations faced by Bhat. Therefore, he felt that it would be in fitness of things to reject his name. He noted that Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, which had pledged to fight against corruption in its election manifesto, had gone back from this promise. He wondered whether the chief minister could not find one honest person to lead KPSC among six crore Kannadigas. He reminded the chief minister that he had, during the Ballari Padayatra, delivered a speech whereby he had promised to strive for transparent administration and rule that is free of corruption.

Poojary also came down heavily on the state government for giving stamp of approval to the plan of depriving water to coastal region of Karnataka by blocking water flow from Yettinahole. He criticized Siddaramaiah for diluting his earlier stand of honesty and transparency.

The veteran Congress leader and former union minister also gave a tongue-lashing to BJP, which he said had in the past, criticized the Congress for spending heavily on advertisements featuring the then prime minister, P V Narasimha Rao, and now frittering away government money on advertisements bearing photographs of prime minister, Narendra Modi.

Strike by police personnel

Slammming the state government on less wages and allowances to the police personnel in the state he said "In Karnataka if a police constable serves the state for ten years he will end up getting Rs 18,000. But in Telangana and Andhra he is paid around 35,000. They are demanding what they deserve. You threaten them saying you will suspend them if they go on leave. You have lost humanity. See their houses. They don't have proper toilets. See the situation in the state if there is no police for one day. Do not get into controversies for no reason. Think for what reason you were elected for. Act accordingly."

Yettinahole

"Yettinahole is a conspiracy to stop every single drop of water reaching the coastal Karnataka and hence it has to be scrapped. As per some sources, barriers are constructed instead of the dams and there is a conspiracy to stop every drop of water. Hence I request the chief minister to stop the project.You have to keep in mind that the people of coastal Karnataka are not fools. They are aware of the plan of making coastal region a barren land." Poojary said.

Former mayors Ajith Kumar, Mahabala Maarla, congress leaders TK Sudhir, Umeshchandra, Stany Alvarez, corporator Radhakrishna and others were present