Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (MD)
Mangaluru, Sep 23: A day after former MLC Monappa Bhandary said that Janardhan Poojary was welcome to join the BJP, the senior Congress leader on Wednesday September 23 rejected the invitation and said that he would remain in Congress till his death.
During a protest against the Congress government on Tuesday September 22, Monappa Bhandary had said that BJP backs Poojary's stand on Yettinahole project and he was welcome to join the BJP in order to protest against the Congress.
Addressing a press meet at the district Congress office on Wednesday, Poojary lashed out at Bhandary and said, "Monappa Bhandary is showing his pettiness by making such statements. Right from my childhood, along with my father, I have believed in the principles of Congress. We are all children of one mother and follow the Constitution, but the BJP does not believe in that.
I will be in Congress till I die. There is no question of quitting. Indira Gandhi, Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi have played a tremendous role in my political career," he said.
Questioning the BJP over the Yettinahole project, Poojary said, "Is it not Sadananda Gowda who approved the Yettinahole project? Even former chief ministers B S Yeddyurappa and Jagadish Shettar are involved in it. Sadananda Gowda approved the project without applying any thought and without the detailed project report (DPR). When Siddaramaiah became the CM, BJP members pressurised him not to stop the project.
"This project will be harmful to the coastal region. I want to know who prepared the DPR on the project. In DPR it says 13.92 hectares of forest land will be used for this project. I want to know who wrote this. Siddaramaiah should make a brief inquiry on who prepared the DPR," he demanded.
Poojary also showed a copy of the environmental flow assessment report on the Yettinahole project and said, "This report has been prepared by scientists and experts of the union ministry of science and technology. It is clearly stated that there is only 9.55 TMC of water available, but in the DPR it says 24 TMC of water will be available. Where is that extra water?
"This project will lead to water scarcity in Hassan and Mangaluru. It will affect the coastal region severely," he added.
"I want to tell the Kolar people that the people of Dakshina Kannada district are not ready to fool them. Poojary never fools anyone. We are trying to show you (Kolar people) that you are being fooled by others. You will not get anything from Yettinahole project.
"Rs 13,000 crore, the money of the people of Karnataka is being wasted on this project. I want to tell everyone and especially farmers that it will not favour you in any way," he asserted, adding, "I urge all MLAs, ministers and the district incharge minister to read the environmental flow assessment report."
Lambasting health minister U T Khader for supporting the project, he said, "Even U T Khader is fooling the people of Kolar and Chikkaballapur. You (Khader) do not have the courage to tell them the truth. If you divert the river the salt density will increase in sea as rain water will not flow into it. This will lead to wiping out of the entire Mangaluru. Ullal Dargah, Gokarnanatha Temple, all the temples, churches and mosques will be washed away. Do not fool the people of Mangaluru. I am asking Khader - how far is Ullal Dargah from the sea? No matter in which party you are, do not fool the people."
"Population is increasing in Dakshina Kannada and already we do not have enough water for our needs. Are you waiting for the people to commit suicide? All the ministers must stop this project and spread awareness on the problems that the project will cause," he said.
On the central government's move to withdraw Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi stamps, he said, "The central government is trying to take revenge on Congress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to take away the voices of people and interfering in everything in a bid to take control."