from our special correspondent reporting from Kaup (MB) - Pics Durga Digitals

Udupi / Kaup, Jul 29: Kannada film-goers are very much aware of her battle-axe kind of roles she has played. In films, she has done so much of sabre-rattling against men, mostly those who played her husband's role, her very presence would command awe in people around her.

That is Umashri, a Sandalwood actress, people would love to hate or just enjoy her histrionics. Now she has donned a new role of a small-time politician, with having been nominated as member of legislative council under artistes' quota.

She is still a crowd-puller, it was proved at Kaup in Udupi district on Friday, where she addressed a rally organized by the Kaup block Congress against the 'misrule' of the JDS-BJP combine ruling in the state. In the political role, the present coalition government in the state government got to be at the receiving end of her verball volleys.

Doing justice to her firebrand image in Kannada movies, she trained her guns at the ruling coalition. Calling the state government a mere puppet, she spoke of the 'mine bonanza' - referring to the allegations of multi-crore bribe supposedly paid by the mine-owners to the higher-ups in the government - and gave several examples of the state government's misrule.

She also sought an immediate inquiry by CBI into charges of bribe and demanded that in view of the serious charges, chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and dyCM Yadiyurappa resign forthwith.

Former Udupi MP Vinayakumar Sorake also spoke on the occasion. Former minister Vasant V Salian, former Karkala MLA Gopal Bhandary, former Udupi MLS U R Sabhapati, Udupi district Congress president M A Ghafoor, block Congress president Gangadhar Suvarna and others were present at the rally, which was attended by a large number of people.