Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Jun 8: "Congress leader and former union minister, Janardhana Poojary, has been creating embarrassment for the party, its chief minister, and ministers from the coast, all of whom are functioning very well without allowing corruption to spoil the administration. Poojary, who is a spent force, and who has time and again been defeated by voters of Mangaluru Lok Sabha constituency, has been using party office to spew venom against its own leaders and government. Poojary has been doing the work of an opposition and hence, needs to be put through narco analysis test," was the sarcastic comment passed by former president of the local block Congress, Kavu Hemanath Shetty.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday June 7, Shetty termed as improper Poojary's habit of giving a dressing down to the state government run by the Congress, four ministers from the district who he said are working excellently, and also former union minister, Veerappa Moily. He reminded Poojary that on the fifth occasion he fought Lok Sabha election last time, he was defeated by over 1.5 lac votes, duly expressing the opinion that the populace here is not in a mood to accept him as a mass leader. He said there was immediate necessity to restrain Poojary's behaviour of undermining the party and confidence of party workers, and added that a complaint would be made to Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, asking it to take action.

He said that Poojary, having earlier been in positions of power, cannot be allowed to talk slightly of the party and its functionaries, and called upon the party to force Poojary to exercise control over his confrontational attitude and words.

Shetty was particularly critical of Poojary for using party office to make statements against the party, its government and ministers, pointing out that there is risk of the general public considering his words as of the party and its workers. He pointed out that when speaking against Yettinahole project, Janardhana Poojary has been singling out Veerappa Moily for verbal tirade because of personal animosity, without namking D V Sadananda Gowda, who had played an important role in implementing this project. He advised Poojary to speak against the party after walking out of it, if he cannot control himself. He also warned that if Poojary continues to behave on these lines, and if the party leadership fails to take action against him, party workers will come together and wave black flags at him whenever he visits the town.