Daijiworld Media Network - Chikkaballapur (SP)

Chikkaballapur, Oct 16: Former Karnataka chief minister and union minister, M Veerappa Moily, asserted that there is no question of trying to convince former revenue minister, Srinivas Prasad, who has resigned from the party, to come back.

"Several senior Congress leaders who deserted the party in the past are now repenting. Prasad may face the same fate. BJP, which is facing dearth of leadership, and JDS may be interested in accommodating him in their parties," he commented.

Minister, T B Jayachadra,  requested former minister, V Srinivas Prasad, to review his decision to quit Congress. Speaking to media persons at Tumakuru, he said that Prasad, a veteran leader and statesman, is senior and his close associate. He noted that the party has given him position and respect, and held Prasad's decision to quit party at this age as wrong. He wanted him to change his decision.

Speaking at Mysuru, in an apparent repartee to Prasad's comments, minister, Dr H C Mahadevappa, stressed that the chief minister is not anti-Dalit, and that if he was so, he would not have shown the commitment for the welfare of the Dalits and the downtrodden. This is deemed to be a response to Prasad's recent outbursts in which he had termed Siddaramaiah as anti-Dalit.

Speaking at Valmiki Jayanthi programme organized at Kalamandir Mysuru on Saturday, Mahaevappa pointed out that Siddaramaiah has enhanced the monetary limits set aside for the welfare of scheduled castes and tribes, and also passed an act to punish officials who fail to utilize the funds fully.