Daijiworld News Network - Mangalore (MB)
Caricature by Harini
Mangalore, Oct 11: Following accusations heard at a peace meeting held in the city on Tuesday, state's minister for ports, fisheries and endowments and district minister-in-charge Bailumeginamane Nagaraj Shetty has decided to resign from the ministry.
Interestingly, said informed sources, he has not submitted his resignation in writing. Last night, while at Bantwal, he has sent back his state car, gunman security and the escort vehicle to Mangalore and returned to his Bijai home in the city in a private vehicle.
Informed sources also spoke of other possible reasons like the arrest of Mangalore MP and state BJP president D V Sadananda Gowda at Baba Budan Giri, when he and his supporters and MLAs were trying to hold a 'Sankirtan' procession in violation of prohibitory orders there.
BJP insiders also said state home minister Prakash's reported decision to transfer SP Dayananda following communal disturbances in the city and around without consulting him as district minister-in-charge could also be one of the reasons to resign.
However, political observers also pointed out the timing of this reported decision, while not actually submitting the resignation. Chief minister H D Kumaraswamy is expected to visit the city on Wednesday (October 11) to assess the aftermath of the riots. This could be a step to put the CM under pressure. It is to be noted that a large majority of MLAs from the undivided district (DK and Udupi) are from the BJP and Kumaraswamy cannot afford to lose their support in the existing political equations at the state level.
A detractor of the minister even went to the extent of saying that the resignation offer was an 'eyewash' and being a first-time minister, he would not like to lose such an opportunity so easily and instead, even if he has actually resigned, would promptly take it back, after 'much persuation and pressure'.