Mangalore: Janardhan Reddy is Threat to Chief Minister's Post - Poojary

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Jan 23: Senior Congress leader and ex-union minister B Janardhan Poojary has called upon the chief minister B S Yeddyurappa to drop tourism minister Janardhan Reddy from the cabinet immediately. "The chief minister should realize that Reddy will be a threat to his post. People of the state are aware of the kind of role he has played in the mining sector. If Yeddyurappa continues to stand by him, Reddy will in near future, prove to be an obstacle for the political future of the chief minister," he forecasted.

Speaking at a press conference here on Thursday January 22, Poojary said that Janardhan Reddy crossed all limits of decency by arrogantly declaring that he would decide the future of ex-chief minister Kumaraswamy. Being a minister, he should have confined himself within the parliamentary traditions and behaved responsibly in spite of provocations if any, he opined.

"The Lokayukta has filed a report saying that irregularities were committed in mining activities. He had also opined that there has been encroachment of Karnataka border by Andhra mining company. It would have been prudent on the part of the government to take action on the report. Getting another report in its favour by the government through the forest department was an unwarranted exercise," he felt. He also demanded for stern action against the culprits regardless of their stature, political affiliation or position.

"The government has failed to act tough against the Marathi hooligans in Belgaum. For protecting the interests of the party, the chief minister is sacrificing the interests of the state," Poojary criticized.

Congress leaders Harikrishna Bantwal and Sanjeev Moily were present.